Seligkeit
by Valkyrie 497
Summary: A Decepticon is sent to find Megatron, but instead crashes on Earth and is found by the Autobots. Learning that Megatron is still alive, will he remain a Decepticon? Or will the actions of his brothers-in-arms drive him away?
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, let's get some of the simple stuff out the way. I do not own Transformers, however I do own my OC's: Valkyrie and Blueshift.**

**Now, for the slightly more complex stuff. Blueshift looks essentially like a much more feminine version of the Prime Hot Shot figure, but with a slightly lighter blue and a silver racing stripe down the middle of her vehicle mode. Valkyrie, once he gets an earth vehicle, will look like the Dark of the Moon Skyhammer figure, but with light tans mixed with light brown accents. Oh, and Seligkeit is a German word meaning bliss or ecstasy.**

**Now, for the last little bit of stuff. Ok, first I'd like to thank Goldstreak for giving me the courage and inspiration to do this! Second, this is my first story ever, so don't bash on it too hard. Otherwise, enjoy Seligkeit!**

* * *

War.

It is such a simple word.

However, just because a word is simple, it does not mean that the word doesn't carry weight.

None knew this better than the Cybertronians.

Civil war had divided them.

Their planet had become split between two warring factions: Autobots and Decepticons.

And now…

_Now, we have no planet to go back to. _This thought ran through Valkyrie's mind as he suddenly woke from recharge. Sitting up on his berth, Valkyrie massaged his optics as he wondered how much time had passed since he'd fallen into recharge. "Frag" was all he could say as a warning popped up on his HUD. :**Energon levels at 12%! Stasis lock imminent!**: Since his departure from Cybertron 5 solar cycles ago, Valkyrie's energon stockpile had been dwindling at a slightly alarming rate. Sure, he still had enough to last him at least another half a solar cycle, but if he didn't find more soon, then that wouldn't really matter. Standing up and making his way to the cargo hold to retrieve a desperately needed energon cube, Valkyrie began wondering why Shockwave had chosen to send him of all bots to go out into the middle of nowhere and investigate the sudden reappearance of Megatron's life signal. It was probably just a glitch. Megatron's life signal had disappeared several millennia ago. Then again, so had everyone else who'd gone with Megatron in pursuit of the Autobots and the Ark. Before he could dwell on it much further, the ship notified him that he was approaching his destination. A planet simply called Earth. Valkyrie quickly made his way to the ship's cockpit to begin making final preparations for landing. However, before he could finish doing so, something hit the ship, decimating half the thrusters and tossing the ship into a rapid and uncontrolled descent into Earth's atmosphere. Valkyrie struggled with controls as he attempted to get the ship back under his control, but to no avail. As he braced himself for impact, Valkyrie was thrown out of the ship from the initial impact, landing well over a hundred yards away. Valkyrie watched as his ship tore itself apart as it impacted repeatedly with ground before he blacked out from the pain. The last thing he saw before his optics offlined was the faint glimpse of a portal opening and a blue figure exiting it.

* * *

As she exited the ground bridge, all Blueshift could do was gasp. The level of destruction was far worse than anyone had predicted. Wreckage was strewn all over, and the fire was quickly spreading to the surrounding forest. Without a moments hesitation, Blueshift quickly commed base.

"Optimus, get Inferno! I need him out here now or this fire is going to get out of control!"

Optimus calmly replied with, "He's on his way. Do you need anything else, Blueshift?"

"No, sir."

"Can you make out if this was an Autobot ship?"

"Negative," Blueshift said, "but I'll begin sweeping the area for survivors."

"Roger that, Blueshift. Good luck."

_Scrap, the German government's going to be pissed when they hear about this_, thought Blueshift as the ground bridge opened and out came Inferno. "Where do you want me?" he said gruffly. Blueshift merely rolled her optics and nodded in the general direction of the now-uncontrollable blaze. "What, that little thing? Pssh… no problem," he said as he quickly rushed over and began dousing the flames.

* * *

**Well, what do you think? As I said this is my first story and I really appreciate any reviews! But please, try and go a little easy on me if I screwed up anywhere. I'm aiming to upload a new part every 3 days, but that is subject to change.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here's Chapter 2! I think I got rid of most of the issues in this one that were present in Chapter 1, so everything should flow a lot smoother!**

**I realized after uploading Chapter 1 that I'd forgotten to mention a few things. Number one is that this story does NOT follow any established canon, though it does take a lot of inspiration from the Aligned continuity (WFC, FOC, Prime). Number two is that I'm using the Prime design aesthetic for this. So Megatron, as well as most of the other pre-established characters, will look how they did in Prime. The only character at the moment that I know for sure I'm changing the look of is Optimus, who will look more or less like he did in Generation 1, just with the more realistic and updated look of Prime.**

**Anyway, let's get on to the story! Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

* * *

"Primus, Blueshift. You think anyone survived that?"

"I don't know, Inferno," Blueshift said. "But I'm not going to leave empty handed."

Inferno shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself. See you back at base."

"Roger that," Blueshift said as she turned on her high-beams to help cut through the smoke. Slowly, she began making her way through the wreckage, careful not to step on any of the shrapnel from the ship. As she began approaching the ship's initial impact crater, the vague outline of a bot became visible through the smoke. Rapidly making her way towards the bot, Blueshift's spark sank. The damage to the mech's frame was extensive. There were scorch marks all over, as well as countless gashes that were rapidly bleeding energon.

"Scrap! Prime, this is Blueshift! I need a bridge at my location. One survivor, but he's in really bad shape. Tell Ratchet to be ready."

"Copy that, Blueshift. Can you tell if our patient is an Autobot?"

"Negative, sir. He's received rather severe burns across his body."

"Understood. Disable his weapons, just to be safe."

"Affirmative," said Blueshift as she began shutting down the mech's weapon systems. After finally managing to disable the twin missile pods on his back, she commed Optimus and the ground bridge opened next to her.

**_1 Hour Later:_**

With Ratchet's help, Blueshift had managed to get the mysterious mech stabilized. Thanks to all the energon he'd lost, they'd been forced to use a good portion of their rapidly dwindling energon supply. Now, Blueshift was busying herself with cleaning what she could of the mech's charred frame. Being in this close proximity to her patient made certain details very apparent to Blueshift. The first and most striking was the mech's protoform. While at first glance it had looked like he had just a standard black protoform, closer inspection showed it resembled the human gemstone called tiger's eye, changing from a black to a golden color based on how the light hit it. The second was that he was a flyer. Not a Seeker, judging by his bulk, but he could definitely fly based on the thrusters on his back and on the bottoms of his peds. Frankly, she found him fairly attractive, even in this damaged state.

She'd been cleaning him off for about half an hour when she reached his shoulder armor. Just as she began cleaning off his right shoulder pad, however, the mystery of this mech began to unravel.

_SCRAP! Oh, scrap, scrap, scrap_, thought Blueshift as her bad luck continued to worsen. Right at that moment, Ironhide decided to walk into the room and immediately took notice of the mark on the injured mech's right shoulder.

Right there, carved into the mech's shoulder pad, was the mark of a Decepticon.

"What the FRAG?! Blueshift, for the love of Primus, please tell me you didn't just drag a slagging 'CON into our base!"

"I…I didn't…"

"You didn't what?!"

"I didn't know! You saw how burned up he was! How was anyone supposed to know he was a 'Con?"

"What's going on in here?" Optimus said, coming into the medbay to see what all the commotion was about.

"Prime…I…um, he…" Blueshift tried to form words, but she was too shaken to do so.

"What Blueshift here's trying to say is she's the stupid glitch that brought a fragging 'CON into our base and…" Ironhide said before Optimus cut him.

"IRONHIDE! That is more than enough out of you!"

"But, Prime…"

"I said enough, Ironhide! One more outburst like that and I will confine you to base for the next month. Understood?"

"Bu…understood, sir."

"You are dismissed. And, please, not a word about what we've discovered about our guest. We don't have the time or resources to deal with that right now, Ironhide."

"Fine. But that 'Con pulls anything and it's on you, Optimus." And with that, Ironhide stormed out of the medbay, off to do Primus-knows-what.

After taking a moment to absorb everything that had just happened, Optimus turned to find Blueshift next to their Decepticon patient, shaking uncontrollably.

"Blueshift…Blueshift, I must…apologize for Ironhide's actions. He…"

"N-no. No. Optimus, he's…I…. He's right."

"What?"

"Don't you get it, Prime? I brought a Decepticon, an enemy, into our BASE. I could have gotten someone killed!"

"Blueshift, this isn't your fault. There's no way you could have known…"

"Optimus, please, as a friend, I'm asking you to just shut up."

A long silence follows, punctuated only by Blueshift's quiet sobs of self-pity. Eventually, Optimus moves closer to Blueshift to speak with her.

"Blueshift, if it helps you any, I believe I know who this Decepticon is."

* * *

**Well, that escalated quickly! Anything that you think I can improve on? Let me know in a review! This story can only get better with your feedback, and I really enjoy reading what you guys think of it!**

**For those of you wondering why I made this story M, you'll find out in later chapters.**

**Until next time, this is Cutter 497 signing off!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry for not uploading yesterday. Life happened.**

**Anyway, this chapter and the next have gone through or are going through MAJOR overhauls. So don't be surprised if the next chapter is delayed.**

**Beyond that, I noticed yet another thing I forgot to mention. Blueshift has a British accent and Valkyrie has (unsurprisingly) a German accent.**

**I'd like to thank all of you who have been giving this story a chance! It's been a lot of fun to write so far and I have big plans for this in the future!**

* * *

"You WHAT?!"

Now it was Blueshift's turn to be angry. Why would Optimus, her leader and, more importantly, her friend, keep something like that from her? Especially while Ironhide stood there and ripped her apart inside with his words.

"Blueshift," Optimus said. "I know what you're thinking. And I wish I had a better answer than I do. The truth is it wasn't until just now that it dawned on me why this mech looked familiar. His name is Valkyrie, and I find it highly unlikely that he will cause us any trouble."

"And you mind telling me why I should believe a single word of this scrap?!"

"Because Valkyrie abides by a code of honor that would rival that of most Autobots."

"A _Decepticon _with a sense of honor?! Sure, and the Wreckers are fragging pacifists!"

"Blueshift, I understand your disbelief. But you must realize that I would never lie to you or anyone."

"Oh, yeah. That's gotten us _real _far, Optimus! How many lives have been lost because of your inability to tell a simple lie?!"

"Blueshift, that is it! For this insubordinate behavior, you are confined to base until further notice! Do I make myself clear?"

Blueshift was stunned. Had she really pushed him that far? Clearly, that last comment had struck a nerve. She wanted to apologize, but the only thing that came out of her vocal processor was, "Crystal, sir."

"Good. Now, may I continue?"

"Y-yes, sir," Blueshift said, fighting back the energon that began to form in her optics.

"As I was saying, I have no reason to believe Valkyrie will attack us. I've heard more than a handful of stories of how he allowed entire regions to evacuate before attacking. Valkyrie despises the idea of attacking those who can't defend themselves…"

"Then why is he still with the slagging 'Cons?"

"He came close to abandoning them. Valkyrie nearly joined us after Megatron's raid on the dark energon facility back on Cybertron."

"And what in the name of the Pit changed his mind?"

"After Warpath, Ironhide, and myself went to purge our planet's core of the dark energon plaguing it, Megatron used the sudden shut down of the core as propaganda against us. Evidently, he succeeded in bringing Valkyrie back to the Decepticon cause."

*sigh* "So what do we do with him now?"

"I will bring Ratchet up to speed on what has transpired. The two of you will continue to care for him…"

"Are you insane?! We're just going to leave a potentially dangerous Decepticon soldier sitting in our medbay?"

"Yes. Now, as I was saying, the two of you will continue caring for him until he wakes up. When he does, notify me. I will attempt to appeal to him. If I can get him to join us, we will gain a very powerful ally."

"And what if you can't convince him to join us? What then?"

*sigh* "I'm still thinking about that. I need to go find Ratchet. I trust that you won't do anything brash."

As soon as the medbay doors had finished closing behind Optimus, Blueshift allowed her emotions to rise to the surface as she let her frame sink to the floor, door wings drooping. As energon began to well up in her optics, she cursed her impulsive nature that had compelled her to speak so viciously toward Optimus. He'd done nothing wrong. Primus, he even stood up for her when she failed to do so herself. And how did she thank him? By berating him, antagonizing him. Damn her impulsive attitude to the Pit!

She sat there crying for another ten minutes before finally moving into a standing position to get back to cleaning Valkyrie. Reaching out to use the table next to her to lift herself up, she remembered a bit too late that Ratchet had left a scalpel laying on that table. Before she could stop herself, she felt the scalpel pierce the soft padding on her palm.

"Shit," she whisper-yelled as she yanked her servo back and examined the damage. The wound wasn't that bad, and she was fairly used to it after making similar mistakes during training. She was more concerned that now she had to waste time cleaning that scalpel.

**_One week later:_**

Over the past week, things had begun to look up for the Autobots. The Decepticons slipped up big time and allowed them to raid a very rich energon mine, giving them enough energon that, if rationed properly, could last them another Earth year. Two days later, Bumblebee found the beginnings of a Decepticon outpost while scouting the area around the mine. Optimus, along with Ironhide and Cliffjumper, proceeded to take the outpost and gathered what little intel they could.

As for Blueshift, she'd managed to finish cleaning off Valkyrie and, with Ratchet's help, repaired most of the damage to his frame. Now all they could do was sit and wait for the Decepticon to come out of stasis. Well, that, and fight to keep Ironhide and some of the other more hot-headed Autobots from tearing the mech limb from limb. It went almost without saying that Optimus' announcement about Valkyrie hadn't gone over that well. While most of the Autobots had been content to just wait and see what happened, others, like Ironhide, weren't so easily satisfied. They wanted Valkyrie either dead or as far away from the base as physically possible.

Optimus didn't do much to resolve the situation, though. In fact, he probably only made things worse after sending Hound and Bumblebee to Valkyrie's crash site to find anything salvageable. When the only things they returned with were a sword and a highly modified Neutron assault rifle, Ironhide lost it. He'd spent the rest of the day pounding on the medbay doors, leaving several large dents in the process.

_You'd better wake up soon or we're going to have a riot to deal with on top of you_, Blueshift thought as she glanced down at Valkyrie. She had to admit, even after finding out he was a Decepticon, she still found him to be quite attractive. His color scheme really accented his physique, and the parts of his protoform that were visible were drop-dead gorgeous.

"Fuck it. If Optimus trusts you, then that's good enough for me," she said and then noticed his servo laying open on the medical berth. Without even giving it a second thought, Blueshift knelt down and placed her servo in Valkyrie's open palm. She gave it a slight squeeze and quietly chuckled to herself. But what happened next nearly made her scream.

He squeezed back.

* * *

**He's BACK! Also, poor Blueshift. Hopefully, this helped answer some questions people were having about her outburst in the previous chapter.**

**In other news, my family just got a new internet router, so we've gone from 100 kb/s to 3 mb/s. To put that in perspective, that's 30x faster!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, here it is! Chapter 4 got fixed up faster than I expected, so no delay on the upload this time.**

**In other news, this story has already surpassed 125 views! This is absolutely incredible and I cannot thank you guys enough!**

**And before I forget, I've been using my dad's computer to upload these parts, which I write on a school-issued iPad. But that won't entirely be the case for much longer. My computer is nearly finished being fixed by my dad's friend, and on top of that, he replaced the hard drive with a solid state drive! I'm so excited!**

**Finally, if you guys could leave me a review, that would amazing! I love reading what you guys think of Seligkeit and it really helps the story overall!**

**Ok, enough of me blabbing, you came to read this thing, so get reading it!**

* * *

As his optics came back online, Valkyrie quickly realized he was somewhere very different from the forest where he'd crashed. The room he was in was covered in a bronze colored metal, and there were medical instruments strewn about. He was in the medbay of a Cybertronian vessel. Good. It occurred to him that he had something clenched in his right servo and turned to see what it was. However, what he found was the last thing he expected.

Looking down at him was quite possibly the most beautiful femme he'd ever seen. She had a lovely blue frame with wonderful silver accents. Even the goggles she wore did not even begin to detract from her beauty. Then, to his embarrassment, he realized that he held her servo in his. Releasing his grip, the femme slowly pulled back her servo and stood up. They locked optics for several nanoseconds, his yellow ones mixing with her vibrant blue.

Suddenly, the femme broke her gaze, turning away and calling out, "Ratchet! He's awake!" Good, she was calling the…wait? Ratchet?! The Autobot medic?! Then he saw it.

Right at the base of her neck. A small Autobot insignia.

And with that, Valkyrie uttered his first word since coming back online before going into self-induced recharge. "Scrap."

* * *

When Ratchet arrived, he dismissed Blueshift and told her to go tell Optimus that Valkyrie was up. Since Optimus had confined her to base, Blueshift had to constantly fight the urge to transform into her altmode and race down the halls of the Ark. It took all her might to remind herself that doing so was forbidden. And besides, the Ark's halls didn't leave a lot of room to maneuver.

The Prime's quarters weren't that far from the medbay, anyway. Walking in, she found Optimus at his desk, staring intently at whatever was on the datapad he held in his servo. Realizing that he hadn't heard her come in, Blueshift lightly knocked on the doorframe.

Suddenly pushed out of his train of thought, Optimus turned to find Blueshift standing in the doorway.

"Ah, Blueshift. I hadn't heard you come in. Is there something you need?"

"Just came to let you know Valkyrie's finally up and about," she said nonchalantly, but Optimus could tell something was off about her.

Figuring prying about it would get him nowhere, Optimus simply replied with, "That's very good news, Blueshift. Could you check with Ratchet if Valkyrie's cleared to speak with me?"

"Yeah, sure thing, Optimus," she said as she turned to leave. And that's when Optimus saw it. The slight twitch in her door wings, the restless servos. Scrap, her confinement to base was affecting her much faster than it should have been. He couldn't have his field medic losing it right now, especially when they had a potential ally sitting right down the hall.

"Uh, Blueshift. Before you go, I'd like to talk to you about your punishment."

Turning back to face him, she calmly replied, "What more is there to talk about? You made it pretty clear I wasn't to leave base until further notice."

"Blueshift, please, don't play dumb with me. I can tell your confinement is negatively affecting you, so effective immediately, you are permitted to leave the base once again. Please, do not make me regret my decision."

"Wait, you mean…thank you, sir! I won't let you down," she said and started to turn to leave before remembering something. She began to say, "Oh, and Optimus? I'd like to say…" but was cut off as Optimus' comlink pinged.

"Excuse me for a moment, Blueshift," Optimus said as he answered the comlink.

**:Prime, it's Ironhide. Can you come down to the cargo hold? I need to speak with you.:**

**:Acknowledged. I'll be down shortly. Prime out.:**

Turning his attention back to Blueshift, Optimus said, "Ironhide wishes to speak with me down in the cargo hold. Whatever you were going to say will have to wait, I'm afraid."

"It's okay. Go talk to Ironhide. I'll check with Ratchet about Valkyrie."

And with that, the two Autobots left to do their allotted tasks.

* * *

While he clearly didn't enjoy it, the Autobot medic answered most of Valkyrie's questions. Apparently, he was on an organic planet called Earth. The planet's dominant indigenous species were an organic race known as humans, and they had allied themselves with the Autobots. The Autobots had found him in some country called Germany. He was also told he'd been out for a week, which was what the humans called 7 rotations of their planet on its axis.

He was about to ask about the blue femme when, as if on cue, said femme burst into the room.

"Hey, Ratchet? Optimus wants to know if Valkyrie is…" she stopped as she took notice of Valkyrie sitting up on the medical berth looking at her. "Oh, um, hi. I…I wasn't aware you were awake." Her faceplates began to tint red as she started to blush in embarrassment.

Thankfully, Ratchet broke the awkward moment of silence when he asked, "Blueshift, what did Optimus want to know?"

Suddenly jerked out of her thoughts, Blueshift replied with, "Optimus…? Oh, yeah! Optimus wanted to know if Valkyrie was well enough that he could speak with him."

"I don't see any reason why he couldn't. Unless our 'guest' thinks he can pull something and get away with it."

There was something about that femme that Valkyrie just couldn't place. He felt like he'd seen her somewhere before. But where…?

"Erm…Blueshift, right?" Valkyrie said, suddenly realizing where he'd seen her.

"Yeah. What do you want, Valkyrie?"

"In the forest. You're the one that found me, weren't you?"

"Uh…yeah. Why?"

"I just…wanted to say thank you. For saving my life." Before Blueshift had come in, Valkyrie had asked Ratchet what condition he'd been in when they found him. Ratchet gave him a datapad with images of his unconscious form from after they'd gotten him stabilized. Based on the damage, Valkyrie was certain that if the Autobots hadn't found him, he would have offlined for sure.

Blueshift suddenly started chuckling, which concerned Valkyrie. Had he said something wrong? His fears were laid to rest when she said, "Optimus was right. You are different from most 'Cons."

And with that, she left to go find Optimus. Which gave Valkyrie a nice view of her aftplates. Unfortunately for him, Ratchet saw what he was staring at and gave him a hard slap over the head.

* * *

**WHAT?! I said Valkyrie has a sense of honor. That doesn't mean he can't enjoy a nice view! XD**

**Again, let me know what you guys think in a review, they are greatly appreciated!**

**Alright, this is Cutter 497, signing off!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow guys I am so, so sorry for not uploading yesterday! I got loaded down with homework and wasn't able to finish up this chapter.**

**Anyway, once again I cannot thank you all enough for the insane number of views this story is getting. We're not even five full chapters in and it's already gotten over 250 views! That is ridiculous and you guys are awesome! Thank you all so, so much!**

**In other news, next chapter should be loads of fun, and you'll probably know why by the end of the chapter. Sorry if the chapter is a little monotonous, my brain just would not cooperate with my for about half the chapter.**

**Oh, and here's the best news! I got my computer back finally! It runs so unbelievably smoothly and I love it!**

**With all that out of the way, on with the story!**

* * *

After his talk with Ironhide, Optimus was unsure on what to do. Ironhide had asked to accompany Optimus when he went to speak with Valkyrie, but Optimus wasn't blind. Ironhide only wished to accompany him so that he'd be able to get close enough to Valkyrie to make his move.

And this left Optimus with a dilemma. On the one hand, he had to make sure Valkyrie came to no harm if they had any hope of convincing him to join them. But on the other hand, he didn't want to appear to be siding against Ironhide.

In the end, he decided to allow Ironhide to accompany him, but he also brought Bumblebee and Blueshift with him in the likely event that Ironhide would need to be restrained.

Entering the medbay, they were greeted with the sight of Valkyrie on the floor doing crunches. But that wasn't what caught them off guard. From the waist up, he had removed his armor, leaving his protoform exposed for all to see. It had an almost hypnotic effect as the Autobots watched it change from gold to black as the mech moved.

Seeing out of the corner of his optics that he had guests, Valkyrie stopped his exercise and turned to face them. When he saw who his guests were, however, he froze in his movement. There, standing before him, was Optimus Prime!

Valkyrie fell into a stupor for a few nanoseconds before coming back to reality and seeing the others that flanked the Prime. To his right was a bulky red mech, cannons mounted on both arms. To the left were two smaller figures. The one he instantly recognized as Blueshift. The other looked like Blueshift, but was clearly a mech judging by his build. He had a yellow and black paint job and enormous blue optics. _Scrap, he can't be any older than a few millennia_, Valkyrie thought as the realization sunk in. Had the Autobots really been brought so low that they'd resorted to recruiting children?

Pushing the thought aside, Valkyrie turned his attention back to the Prime and addressed him with, "Ah. Optimus _Prime_! To what do I owe the honor of meeting our planet's destroyer?"

Too late, Valkyrie realized he'd said the wrong thing as he was suddenly slammed against the wall by the red mech. "You mean our planet's _savior_, you worthless piece of scrap," the red mech shouted, rage seething in his words. "If your _glorious leader_ hadn't gone and tainted Cybertron's core with dark energon, we might still have a slagging planet worth fighting over!"

He was going to continue, but was stopped as Blueshift suddenly appeared behind him and injected him with a sedative, which took effect almost immediately. As the red mech collapsed to the floor, Optimus walked over to Valkyrie and offered him his hand.

Waving him off, Valkyrie gently pulled himself up into a standing position and drily said, "You Autobots really know how to make a mech feel welcome."

Nodding in understanding, Optimus replied, "I apologize for Ironhide's behavior. He's been…on edge since you arrived."

"Understandable. But that's not my concern at the moment. What did he mean about Megatron tainting Cybertron's core? It was my understanding that the core had accepted the dark energon infusion."

Suddenly rising from where she knelt beside Ironhide, Blueshift retorted with, "And who gave you that Primus forsaken idea?"

"Shockwave did. I was stationed as commander of his security detail during that part of the war."

Frowning slightly, Blueshift mumbled under her breath, "Fragging cyclops."

"Valkyrie," Optimus said, rejoining the conversation. "I fear that you have been deceived. Cybertron did not accept the dark energon Megatron tainted it with. I, along with Ironhide and a young soldier known as Warpath, went to the core under orders of the High Council to purge it of the dark energon corrupting it. We succeeded, but the core was forced to shutdown in order to make repairs."

The Prime's words rang of sincerity. Valkyrie wanted to believe him, but what he said couldn't be true. He'd been told repeatedly that the mech that stood before him was the reason Cybertron went dark.

"Valkyrie, I tell you this because I fear Megatron plans to do this once again."

WHAT?! No, no. This was a trick! Besides, Megatron had sworn off the dark substance after it had been purged from the core.

_But what if it's true? _The thought entered his mind suddenly and regardless of what he told himself it wouldn't go away. The Prime would never let him leave the base, but he needed to learn the truth. And that meant he had to get away, but how?

Then it hit him.

"Give me a day to ponder what you've said. You'll have your answer tomorrow, Prime."

"Understood. We will speak again in the morning."

Perfect. Now he just had to wait for them to fall into recharge and…

"Blueshift, I want you to stay here and keep an eye on Valkyrie until I return tomorrow."

_Wait, what?! No! She'll ruin everything! Damn you, Prime_, thought Valkyrie as the Prime turned and left the room, the yellow mech helping him carry the unconscious form of Ironhide, leaving only Blueshift and Valkyrie alone in the medbay.

**_6 hours later:_**

Optimus had thrown a massive wrench into the works by having Blueshift stay. Now Valkyrie had to completely rethink his plan.

In an attempt to throw her off his trail, Valkyrie had begun asking her various questions.

"So, Blueshift, what did Optimus mean by he thinks Megatron's going to use dark energon again? The mech sworn that scrap off after Cybertron's core was purged of it."

"Do you seriously have no idea what you 'Cons have been up to since we got here?"

"Actually, no, I do not. It's the reason I'm even here. Every life signal aboard the _Nemesis _had flatlined upon entering this planet's atmosphere. We'd assumed the worst, until about five solar cycles ago. The life signals of Megatron and most of the crew of the _Nemesis _suddenly came back online. We tried to establish contact, but we never got a response. Shockwave chose me to go and investigate, and now I'm here."

"Well, if you really must know, Megatron found a deposit of the substance on Earth and began producing the stuff in large quantities at various facilities he's built across the planet. We've been trying to take out as many as we can, but it never seems to even slow him down."

"Yes, yes, that's interesting and all, but why is Megatron using it in the first place?"

"Huh, I guess it's not common knowledge among the Decepticon ranks. Well, dark energon is incredibly addictive. It seems even Megatron couldn't resist its draw."

This didn't make any sense. Megatron couldn't have been an addict. He'd never shown any symptoms of it. Then again, he _was _infamous for concealing the truth. Regardless, this made it that much more imperative that he escape and find out the truth.

Lucky for him, an opportunity arose. Blueshift had turned her back to him, and there was a scalpel on the table next to him. Grabbing the scalpel, he snuck up behind Blueshift, grabbed her, and held the scalpel close to her neck cables.

Quickly moving his servo to cover her mouth, Valkyrie quietly whispered into her audio receptor, "Quiet. I'm not going to hurt you if you cooperate. Now, I need to find out if there's any truth in what I've been told today. And the only way I'm going to do that is if I confirm these accusations for myself. You're going to show me where my weapons are, and then you're going to bridge me back to where I crashed. Got it?"

Blueshift nodded slightly, fighting not to touch the scalpel nearly touching her neck cables.

"Good. Let's go, we're wasting time as it is."

As the medbay doors swung open, Valkyrie took notice that the hall lights were off, probably to save power. It was nighttime, after all. Quietly, the two made their way toward the armory. Once inside, Valkyrie put the scalpel in his subspace, but kept a tight grip on Blueshift, just in case she tried to escape. Towards the back of the room, he found his rifle and sword. Quickly sheathing the sword and holstering the rifle, Valkyrie pulled the scalpel back out and brought it back into position in front of Blueshift's neck.

"Alright. Now, you're going bridge me to where I said. If Prime asks, tell him I went to learn the truth."

They were nearly in the command center when Valkyrie saw that the room wasn't quite as empty as he had hoped. At the far end of the room, Optimus Prime stood before a monitor, studying whatever was displayed on it intently.

_Oh scrap_, thought Valkyrie. _Come on, Valkyrie, think! You've been in worse situations before. How are you going to get out of this one?_

Then he remembered the femme he held in his servos. _Oh, duh._

Moving slightly further into the command center, Valkyrie calmly said, "Prime."

Startled by the sudden sound, Optimus turned only to be shocked by what he saw.

"Valkyrie?! What in the name of Primus do you think you're doing!?"

"Getting out of here. Now, you know as well as I do that I don't want to hurt Blueshift here, but I swear to Primus if you don't cooperate I will! You're going to open the groundbridge to the place where you found me, I'll let Blueshift go, and you'll let me leave."

Optimus was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, he'd never forgive himself if he allowed Valkyrie to hurt Blueshift. On the other hand, he couldn't let Valkyrie escape and join up with Megatron's forces. But then, Valkyrie _had _been visibly shaken by what he'd told him. If he went back to the Decepticons and found what had been said to be true, there might still be a chance that he would join the Autobots.

It was a chance he was going to have to take.

"Valkyrie, you have made your point. I will honor my end of the bargain, and I will trust you to do the same."

Optimus cautiously walked over to the groundbridge controls, never once taking his optics off of Valkyrie. Quickly, he brought up the coordinates and activated the groundbridge. As soon as he did, Valkyrie released his grip on Blueshift, lightly pushing her away from him, which caused her to fall to her knees, and tossing the scalpel aside. As he turned to leave, Valkyrie said, "I regret having to do that, Prime. But I must know the truth."

While he made his way toward Blueshift to help her up, Optimus solemnly replied, "I understand. I just hope that the next time we meet, Valkyrie, it will be under better terms."

The only response he got was a slight nod from Valkyrie before the mech ran through the groundbridge and the portal closed behind him.

* * *

**Yep, next chapter finally introduces us to the 'Cons! Get hyped!**

**Don't forget to leave a review!**

**Until next time, this is Cutter 497, signing off!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh my God guys I am so sorry for not uploading yesterday. My parents seemed hellbent on keeping me from finishing this chapter and I only just now finished writing it.**

**Which brings me to my first, and probably worst, announcement. I'm going to be putting this series on a very short break to get more chapters ready in advance. Rewriting chapters 3 and 4 really threw me off and I've been fighting to try and stay caught up with release dates. Again, this will be a very short break and the next chapter will be out on October 19th. Think of the last few chapters as the pilot episode to the series.**

**Secondly, I'd like to warn that there is quite a bit of strong language used in this chapter. You have been warned.**

**Finally, I'd like to thank you all once more for just the incredible amount of views this series has been getting. We have passed over 300 views and that is absolutely incredible, absurd, ridiculous, and insane! You guys are awesome and I sincerely hope you enjoy chapter 6!**

**P.S. Over half this chapter was written in an hour. I have officially gone over the deep end. XP**

* * *

As he exited the portal, Valkyrie was immediately greeted by the blinding light of the planet's sun.

"Wha…," he started, before remembering why the sun was up. While he'd been with the Autobots, he'd taken the time to ask their medic where Germany was. Ratchet had told him that and then some. Apparently, Germany was on a completely different landmass to where the Autobots had set up base. And it was on the other side of the planet.

_Scrap. How in the Pit did I forget that?_ Great. He'd almost singlehandedly managed to strand himself on the whole opposite side of the planet from where he needed to be.

Well, at least Ratchet had been kind enough to give him the coordinates of his crash site. With that little bit of information, Valkyrie had been able to learn that there was a human air base about 100 miles east of his location. He needed an Earth-based alt-mode, and right now, that base was his best bet. Now he just had to wait till nightfall to avoid detection. Judging by the sun's position in the sky, that wasn't too far off.

Walking into the clearing that his ship had created, Valkyrie transformed into his Cybertronian helicopter form and took off in the direction of the air base. It wasn't long before he was about 5 miles out and found another clearing where he could land.

If possible, Valkyrie wanted to avoid confrontation with the humans stationed at the base. From the information he'd managed to gather on the race, they didn't pose much of a threat to any Cybertronian. They were a small organic race, averaging at a height that barely reached midway up his lower leg. Honestly, they weren't really anything special. Sure, their technological advancements were impressive, and their weaponry wasn't anything to laugh at, but they wouldn't stand a chance against Cybertronians.

It was a depressing thought. Humanity, whether they knew it or not, had been thrust into the middle of a war that had lasted longer than their species had even existed. Maybe Prime was right in trying to protect them.

He couldn't think about that right now. His objective was within his grasp and he'd be damned if he let it slip past him. Besides, he'd already wasted enough time thinking about it. Night had fallen some time ago, and the lights of the base could be made out off in the distance.

At the sight of this, Valkyrie had to mentally slap himself. Of course they'd have lights. Well, that just meant he had to get really lucky and find a vehicle that sat against the base's perimeter that he could scan.

This was definitely easier said than done. The southern face of the base hadn't had anything but ground vehicles, and the western face had been composed primarily of barracks. That western face had been an absolute nightmare to get past. The majority of the lights were concentrated in this area of the base and Valkyrie was almost certain he'd been seen at least 6 times.

He was turning to move along the northern face when he spotted what he was looking for. It was a flight capable vehicle, similar in design and operation to his Cybertronian alt-mode. Scans indicated it was a Eurocopter Tiger. Quickly, he brought up what information he could on the vehicle and found that it more than met his needs.

Scanning the helicopter, Valkyrie couldn't help but intake sharply at the strange feeling of his armor shifting to accommodate his new form. Back on Cybertron, there had never been a need for him to take on a new alt-mode, so this feeling was completely foreign to Valkyrie. And he had to admit, it definitely wasn't a pleasant one.

Thankfully, the process was over almost as quickly as it began, and he immediately transformed and took off, flying as fast as he could away from the base.

The humans didn't give chase, thank Primus, and Valkyrie flew westward for the next several hours. He was about midway through the country of France when the sun began to rise. Not wanting to risk finding out where Germany stood with France, Valkyrie began broadcasting on all channels with this message, **:This is Decepticon General Valkyrie, broadcasting on all channels. If any Decepticons are recieving, I am at these coordinates and am in need of an immediate extraction.:**

He continued broadcasting this message for several agonizingly long minutes before recieving a response transmission. Tuning in on it, Valkyrie was met with the familiar voice of a Vehicon drone.

**:This is the ****_Nemesis_****. We are recieving you, sir, but I must ask that you provide your vocal authorization before we extract you.:**

**:Understood, ****_Nemesis_****. Transmitting authorization now.:**

**:Authorization received. Welcome aboard, sir.:**

Right as the Vehicon's transmission ended, a groundbridge portal opened up in front of Valkyrie and he flew straight through it. As he came out the other side, he quickly transformed and was greeted by the dark, claustrophobic bridge of the _Nemesis_.

Within a matter of nanoseconds, a silver Vehicon approached him and told him that Megatron wished to speak with him. When Valkyrie just gave the drone a blank stare, it huffed and pointed towards the front of the bridge. There, back turned to Valkyrie, with hands folded behind his back, was the massive, imposing form of Megatron.

Megatron had always been an imposing figure, even before the war had broken out. But if one had taken the time to see the mech behind the armor, they'd know that this individual was deeply passionate about what he preached, and would stop at almost nothing to achieve his goals. While the war had whittled away at this particular skill of his, Megatron had once been an excellent political speaker. He was so accomplished in this that just the few words he'd spoken during his conference with the Council had been enough to move most of those in attendance to the Decepticon cause, including several members of the Council itself.

This knowledge alone made it hard for Valkyrie to believe what the Prime had said could be true. Quietly, Valkyrie made his way towards his master and knelt before him.

Without even turning to acknowledge him, Megatron motioned to Valkyrie to stand. Valkyrie did so, and was about to speak when the hulking silver mech in front of him beat him to it.

"So, Valkyrie. What brings my Chief Scientist's head of security all this way?"

"Reconnaissance, my lord. Cybertron had lost all life signals from the _Nemesis_ millennia ago. We had assumed the worst. Then we began receiving most of those signals again about 5 solar cycles ago. Establishing contact was attempted, but no response was ever received. I was chosen to investigate."

"Ah. And you mind explaining why you have energon dried on your right servo?"

At this, Valkyrie visibly stiffened. Bringing the aforementioned servo up to his optics, he was shocked to find exactly what Megatron had said. There, splattered on the backside of his servo, was a reasonable amount of dried energon. Scrap, had he actually cut Blueshift during his escape?

Quickly, Valkyrie came up with the most believable explanation he could.

"Oh, yes, that. My ship hit something as I made my decent toward the planet's surface. I crashed and was found by the Autobots here. The fools patched me up and left me unrestrained in their medical bay. As soon as I was well enough, I made my escape. It didn't go quite as…smoothly as I'd hoped."

Nodding, Megatron coolly replied with, "And I pray that you have checked for any tracking devices planted on you?"

"I did a self-assessment as soon as I had bridged out of their base. Not a single tracer on me."

"Good. Go and see Knock Out in the med bay. He'll run a quick scan over you in case anything was missed and will then escort you to your quarters."

"As you wish, my lord."

* * *

Fragging 'Con. She should have never believed that he might join them. All trusting him had gotten her was a nasty gash across her neck cables and the ridicule of her comrades. To say that the last 24 hours had been hard on Blueshift would be an understatement. The only ones who seemed to care that she could have died last night were Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ratchet. Everyone else treated her almost as if she had willingly helped Valkyrie escape. No matter what evidence was brought forward in her defense, they just wouldn't leave her be.

She was making her way to her quarters to turn in for the night when she ran into the last mech she needed to see right now: Ironhide. Praying that he didn't notice her, she darted down the hall and was about to round the corner to where her quarters were when Ironhide's gruff voice called out, "And where are _you_ off to in such a hurry? Going to find your 'Con boyfriend?"

Oh, that was _IT_! Blueshift swiftly turned as her daggers extended from her wrists and made contact with Ironhide's ridiculously heavily-armored chestplate.

"What do I have to do to get you fuckers to trust me?! I can't make one fucking mistake without you assholes doubting me! I was held hostage and nearly died last night and all you insensitive Pit-spawns can do is insult me! And you want to know something? I bet it's your fault that this," she said, motioning to the rather obvious bandage around her neck, "Wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been such a fragging hot-head and attacked Valkyrie before Optimus could even get a single word out!"

At this, Ironhide shoved the enraged Blueshift off of him and shouted back, "Get your damned servos the hell off of me, you crazy bitch! I wasn't about to sit by while that slagging 'Con insulted Prime like that. If you knew what Prime and I went through back on Cybertron, you would've done the same!"

"Ironhide, back off. Now."

Both Ironhide and Blueshift turned to find Ratchet standing at the end of the hall, a firm scowl on his face.

"Why? I'm just defending myself. She came at me and…"

Ironhide never got to finish that sentence as Ratchet right-hooked him across the face.

"Ironhide, that's bullshit and you know it! I saw everything, you aft-head! She's right! Valkyrie nearly killed her last night. I should know since I was the one that patched her up! Now lay off!"

"Fuck you!"

"Oh, that's it! **:Optimus? It's Ratchet. Can you hurry over here? I'm having issues with Ironhide.: **There, happy now?"

* * *

Knock Out's "quick scan" hadn't exactly been as quick as Valkyrie had hoped. Understandably, the Autobots had disabled his built-in weaponry, so that had to be reactivated.

As the Decepticon medic did his work, Valkyrie could tell that something was very off about the mech. He was moving very erratically, and seemed very skittish. Oh, and his optics were purple, but he refused to tell Valkyrie why.

Instead, his answer came in a far less pleasant way as restraints extended from the berth that he was laying on. Panic set in and Valkyrie began to struggle until he saw what Knock Out now held in his servos. A shard of dark energon. Oh Primus, no! This couldn't be happening!

Thankfully, Valkyrie's desperation seemed to increase his strength as he broke out of the restraints and kicked Knock Out into the far wall. He had to get out of here, but how? He wasn't familiar with the layout of the _Nemesis_. The only way out of here that he knew the location of was the ship's groundbridge, but the controls for that were in the bridge. What he needed was a diversion.

Rising from the berth and making sure Knock Out was knocked out, Valkyrie began searching the med bay for something, anything that could create the diversion he so desperately needed. There was a sizable amount of energon scattered around the room. That would have to do. Pulling out his rifle and moving towards the door, Valkyrie fired a short burst at some energon cubes stacked in the back of the room. His shots met their target, and the resulting explosions ripped the med bay to pieces as he ran down the hall outside.

Alarms immediately began sounding across the entire ship. Good. He was nearly to the groundbridge controls when he stopped in his tracks. The bridge was deserted short of Valkyrie and one other mech.

"Soundwave."

Even when he'd been a politician back on Cybertron, Soundwave had given Valkyrie the creeps. After he'd taken his vow of silence, he'd only gotten creepier.

Before he could react, a tentacle shot out of Soundwave toward Valkyrie. Almost out of instinct alone, Valkyrie drew his sword and sliced clean through the tentacle, severing it in half. In response, Soundwave closed the distance between them at an unbelievable speed and smacked Valkyrie across the face. Grunting in frustration, Valkyrie raised his sword and smashed the hilt into the place where the freaks face should have been. Staggering from the blow, Valkyrie used the opportunity to knee the mech in the chest before plunging his sword into his abdomen.

Overwhelmed by the extent of the damage he'd received, Soundwave went into stasis-lock and fell to the floor as Valkyrie pulled his sword out of him. Not one to waste the opportunity, Valkyrie ran to the groundbridge controls and input a random point on the North American continent. The groundbridge instantly came to life beside him and he sprinted through right as dozens of Vehicons began pouring onto the bridge to find Soundwave lying on floor bleeding energon profusely and a groundbridge portal closing.

* * *

**I know. I'm a jerk for going on a break and leaving you guys with a cliffhanger. Next chapter, things will get a little, well, graphic, and this chapter was getting pretty long as is. Seriously, my iPad was legitimately lagging as I tried to write this.**

**One last thing I want to add before I go. I've been listening to A LOT of music while writing this, and by far what I listen to the most are songs off of Mono Inc's album, "Nimmermehr." A lot of the inspiration for this series came from listening to the album, and I highly recommend giving it a listen. Just don't get too freaked out when you realize almost every song on the album is in German. The only song from them that's not on the album is the version of the song "Seligkeit" that I've been listening to. There are, to my knowledge, three different versions of this song, and the one I listen to is the collaboration one between Mono Inc and Saltatio Mortis.**

**Well, now that all that's out of the way, don't forget to leave a review and until next time, this is Cutter 497, signing off!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. Sorry for the late upload again. I got some explaining to do. This last week was way, way busier than I had realized, and the next few weeks don't look like they'll be letting up (I'm going away this weekend as well). I wanted so much to have a schedule for release dates and have several chapters ready in advance, but right now, that just isn't possible. Until things settle down on my end, updates to the story will be fairly random and sporadic. Again, I wish things were different, but they're not and I, along with all of you, are going to have to deal with it.**

**Just want to make a few things clear as well as change something I said in an earlier chapter. First, this story is not set in any established continuity. It is not Prime, though it does use that style aesthetic. On that note, I've decided that most of the characters will look how they do in the Transformers Universe game. This includes Optimus and Megatron. The only characters unaffected by this are Blueshift, Valkyrie, and any characters who don't have a character model in the game yet.**

**In other news, this is the longest chapter yet and I put a good bit of effort into it, so I hope you enjoy. Just a warning, this chapter is quite gory, both for humans and Cybertronians, so heads up.**

**Also, this story's views have surpassed my number: 497. Just...I absolutely love you guys! I wouldn't be able to do this without you!**

* * *

"He WHAT?!"

Megatron had allowed Valkyrie onto the _Nemesis_, knowing full well that the general would put up a fight at the mere sight of dark energon. What the tyrant had failed to realize, however, was just _how _much of a fight he would put up.

"My lord, Valkyrie has destroyed the med bay," the silver Vehicon said, backing away slightly out of fear.

"And where is he now?!"

"Reports say he was seen entering the bridge. I dispatched a full platoon to subdue him. Soundwave should be able to…"

"Soundwave…? You IDIOT! Soundwave won't stand a chance against him," the tyrant roared, slowly closing the distance between himself and the Vehicon.

"My lord, please, I-I didn't…GGGAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The Vehicon never got to finish that sentence as Megatron violently ripped the drone's head off its shoulders, energon spurting out of its neck cables.

"Was that _really _necessary, Lord Megatron?"

Megatron turned to find his Second in Command staring at the scene that had just unfolded, wicked grin plastered on his faceplates.

"Enough of your sarcasm, Starscream. Gather a squad and search the med bay for survivors. I have a bridge to secure."

"As you command, my liege," the Seeker said as the hulking warlord stormed off toward the bridge.

* * *

As the doors to the bridge slid open, all optics turned to face Megatron. The silver mech took note that most optics showed barely contained fear. Turning his gaze on one of the silver Vehicon generals, the behemoth barked out, "Report!"

"Bridge is secure, Lord Megatron. However, General Valkyrie escaped mere seconds before we arrived. I have troops attending to Soundwave's injuries as we speak."

That last bit of information caused Megatron to raise an optic ridge. _Why didn't the fool just kill him? He'd left Soundwave defenseless and…Oh. So, Valkyrie still holds himself to that ridiculous code of honor of his? Pathetic._

Noticing that everyone was looking to him for orders, Megatron addressed the Vehicon general with a question. "Do we know where he bridged to?"

"Not yet, liege. General Valkyrie…"

"He is no longer a general and thus should not be addressed as such. Understood?"

"Understood, sir. As I was saying, Valkyrie scrambled the groundbridge's systems as he fled. We're working on pinpointing his destination as we speak."

"Good. Notify me when you have done so. I have a pet that needs to be put down."

* * *

_Primus, what has he done?!_

Valkyrie had escaped from the _Nemesis _about half an hour ago. What he had seen in his brief time there was…well, let's just say he wasn't about to forget it. The Prime had been right. It was all like something out of a nightmare.

Everyone aboard that Pit-spawned ship, except the Vehicons, had infused themselves with dark energon. Even Knock Out. He and Valkyrie had been friends even before the war. But the mech that he had seen mere moments ago wasn't Knock Out. Not anymore. Part of Valkyrie hoped that Knock Out had perished in the blast. At least then the mech could be free of the dark substance's taint.

Slag it. He didn't have time to mourn his friend. He needed a plan. It wouldn't be long before the Decepticons fixed the damage he'd done to the groundbridge.

Contacting the Autobots wasn't an option, since he had no way of doing so. Or did he?

The groundbridge had dumped him atop a plateau that overlooked a small human settlement. He couldn't allow the humans to come to any harm, but their presence could still be of use. He knew Megatron would be the one to come after him, so he had to keep the Decepticon as far away from the humans as possible. But if he could remain close enough to them that his inevitable battle with Megatron was still visible, maybe it would create enough of a panic that the Autobots would show up. It was a long shot, but he didn't have any other options available to him. At least, none that would end well for him.

The dusty ground beneath Valkyrie would be the means by which he would lead Megatron off to fight him. The ground allowed Valkyrie to leave quite noticeable tracks. Walking over to the edge of the plateau opposite the town, he decided it would be better if he climbed down from his lofty perch, as transforming into his alt-mode would probably ruin the tracks he'd made, as well as alert the humans to his presence.

Reaching the base of the plateau, Valkyrie couldn't help but thank the Maker for his colorscheme, which allowed him to blend in reasonably with his surroundings. With any luck, this would allow him to gain an upper hand against Megatron.

As much as he hated to admit, Earth had a beauty about it that managed to rival even that of Cybertron. Even in this place, which was mostly just dust and rock, there was an abundance of this beauty. It was in the way the light from the sun hit the rocks, in the shadows that the rocks cast on the ground beneath them. And it was most definitely in the similar yet strikingly different colors of the terrain.

Valkyrie could not allow Megatron to do to this world what he had to Cybertron. Especially when the survival of another race was on the line.

Valkyrie kept walking until the town was barely visible off in the distance. He wasn't quite as far as he'd hoped, but it would have to do, as a groundbridge portal appeared atop the plateau. Not even waiting to see what came through, Valkyrie grabbed his rifle and took aim before realizing that at this distance he'd miss most of his shots, even with the modifications he'd made to increase the rifle's effective range.

* * *

As he came through the groundbridge, Megatron wasn't surprised when he spotted Valkyrie off in the distance, aiming his rifle at him. Nor was he surprised when he realized what Valkyrie was trying to do. There was a human settlement clearly visible nearby, but Valkyrie had walked off in the opposite direction.

_He's an even bigger fool than I realized. When will he realize that the defenseless will always be the weak link?_

With that, Megatron raised his arm-mounted fusion cannon and took aim at the human settlement below him. As he let fly the first of his shots, his audio receptors were met with a satisfactory howl of terror from Valkyrie.

* * *

"NO!" Valkyrie screamed as he watched in horror as Megatron began firing at the human settlement below him. As the first of the shots made contact with its target, rage consumed Valkyrie's processor as he transformed and quickly closed the distance before returning to his bipedal form and lunging at Megatron, sword in hand.

Unfortunately, Megatron had heard his approach and had extended his wrist blade in anticipation. As the two blades met, Valkyrie allowed his shock to surface for a brief moment. But it was all the opening Megatron needed to knee Valkyrie in the air tanks, grab ahold of the mech, and toss him toward the human settlement below.

As he smashed into the ground with a tremendous crash, a large portion of Valkyrie's systems offlined for several excruciating seconds before rebooting. The last to come back online were his optics, but the sight that they were met with was enough to make Valkyrie wish that they had stayed offline. All around him were burning buildings and humans running around in panic. But the thing that made him nearly purge right then and there were the bodies. Strewn all around him were dozens of human corpses, most missing limbs or burned to the point of being unrecognizable. A red liquid that he could only assume to be the humans lifeblood was splattered everywhere as well as pooling around some of the bodies.

Thankfully, the sound of Megatron approaching was enough to pull him out of his stupor. His sword had impaled itself into a building nearby, and Valkyrie quickly yanked it out before turning to face his opponent.

But Megatron had stopped in his advance and was picking something up off the ground. _What is he doing?_ Valkyrie thought as Megatron grabbed whatever it was he was looking for and returned to a standing position.

Just as Valkyrie was about to charge at the silver mech, Megatron opened his servo to display what it was that he held.

A burned human corpse.

"Humanity," came the tyrant's harsh, cold voice. "So small, so feeble. So weak. Tell me, Valkyrie, why do you wish to defend these vermin? Is it because you still follow that ridiculous code of yours?"

"Megatron, what are you playing at?"

"Oh, nothing. Merely seeing where you _stand_," Megatron said as he crushed the body he held in his servo, bits of bone flying off as blood oozed through his clenched fist. "In this…GAAAAHHH!"

Valkyrie didn't give Megatron the satisfaction of finishing that sentence as he slammed into him, knocking Megatron off balance as Valkyrie landed punch after punch on the Decepticon's hulking frame.

"You MONSTER! You are not the same mech I fought for on Cybertron! What happened to Megatron the revolutionary, the mech I'd lay down my life for?!"

Valkyrie was about to land yet another punch when Megatron's clawed servo grabbed his fist and twisted, which earned Megatron a scream of pain from Valkyrie. "That Megatron," the tyrant replied, bringing his other fist up. "Died along with Cybertron!" And with that, Megatron's massive fist slammed into Valkyrie's faceplates, sending him reeling.

* * *

"Ironhide, your behavior this last week has been unacceptable! Until further notice, you are confined to base and all your activities will be monitored. Understood?!"

Optimus was pissed, that was for sure. He'd had Prowl and Ratchet escort Ironhide to his quarters several hours ago, and the only sounds that could be heard through the closed door were small snippets of an argument mixed with a lot of metal hitting metal.

When Optimus finally emerged, everyone was surprised, not by the amount of damage he'd received, but rather the lack thereof. Ironhide, however, hadn't gotten off quite so easily. The mech was laying on the floor in stasis-lock, large dents all across his frame.

"Ratchet," the Prime said, shattering the silence that engulfed the Autobots present. "Get Ironhide patched up. For now, you are in charge of monitoring him. He is not to leave your sight, much less the Ark, for any reason. Clear?"

"Crystal, Optimus," the medic replied, moving into the Prime's quarters to get Ironhide.

"The rest of you…" the Prime started to say before he was interrupted by a ping on his comlink. It was an urgent message…from the Pentagon.

Answering the comlink, the Prime was assaulted by a barrage of disastrous information.

A surprise Decepticon incursion. A small Nevada town wiped off the map. Heavy human casualties.

"Autobots, we have a Decepticon incursion in progress. Prowl, Bumblebee, you're with me. Inferno, your skills may also be required. Everyone else is to remain on standby. Roll out!"

* * *

"You will be an example to all who dare to betray me, you worthless scrapheap!"

It was over. He'd failed. Valkyrie hadn't even been able to protect himself, much less the defenseless humans whose bodies now littered the ground around him.

Megatron had him pinned under his left pede and was raising his sword for the killing blow. Valkyrie closed his optics as he prepared for what was to come.

But it never came.

Opening his optics, the sight before Valkyrie would be one he'd be grateful for forever.

Optimus Prime stood above him, blocking Megatron's blade with two of his own.

"What have you done, Megatron?! These humans were innocent, and yet you slaughter them like they are your worst enemy!"

"These insects chose to side with your pathetic Autobots, Prime! They _are _my enemy!"

It was around then that Valkyrie became aware of the fact that he was being dragged away from the dueling mechs. Looking around, he saw the yellow and black mech from the Autobots' base and a black and white mech that he recognized from before the war as Prowl, a former cop turned Autobot strategist. They dragged him behind a partially destroyed building and propped him up against it.

"You must be Valkyrie. I'm…"

"Prowl…*cough* yeah, I know."

"How do you…? Nevermind. Since you already apparently know me, this," Prowl said, motioning toward the yellow and black mech next to him. "Is Bumblebee. Now that we got introductions out of the way, you mind telling us what the slag is going on here?"

"Later. What's Optimus' status?"

Valkyrie got a whir from Bumblebee as a reply, which earned Bumblebee a cock of the head from Valkyrie.

"Bee had a bit of a…run in with Megatron during the Battle of Tyger Pax. Fragger ripped out the poor kids vocal processor."

Valkyrie found little could surprise him anymore, but Prowl's words hit him like a truck. Megatron had fallen much further than Valkyrie had ever dared to imagine. That…that…warlord needed to be taken down.

Rage building once more, Valkyrie's next statement came out more like a barked order than a request.

"Get me my sword."

"Valkyrie, you can't be serious! You're too damaged! You won't stand a fragging chance against Megatron!"

"Who said I was going to fight him?"

* * *

Megatron had had enough distractions for one day. First one of his generals suddenly appears on Earth, then that same general decides to go rogue and take out at least one of his officers in the process. And now he had almost finished dealing with the traitorous general when the Autobots chose to finally get involved. And Optimus Prime was with them, no less.

But even the Autobots weren't about to stand between him and his prey. It had been months since he and the Prime had fought, and Megatron had almost forgotten how weak the _mighty_ leader of the Autobots was. The mech was struggling to even block his attacks, much less land a hit on him. It was almost like the Prime was holding back.

Wait, what was that noise? Turning, Megatron found Valkyrie charging towards him, sword in hand. So, the traitor still had some fight in him after all.

But what happened next the tyrant could never have seen coming. Behind him, he felt Optimus turn and run towards a ground bridge portal that had just opened. Another day, then.

Turning his attention back to the mech charging at him, Megatron readied his own sword and prepared to block Valkyrie's attack. But instead, Valkyrie suddenly activated the thrusters on the bottoms of his peds and shot away from Megatron before transforming and flying straight through the still open ground bridge portal before it closed behind him.

"GGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

**Well, Megatron is officially freaking insane. Also, how will the Autobots react to Valkyrie? Especially Blueshift. Find out next time, whenever that is. :P**

**Well, I've got nothing more to say, so this is _Valkyrie_ 497, signing off!**


	8. Chapter 8: Origins: Valkyrie

**Happy Halloween, everyone!**

**I have no announcements to make this time so go ahead and get right into it!**

* * *

Returning to the Autobots' base hadn't exactly ended the way Valkyrie had hoped.

He'd exited the groundbridge and transformed, only to be immediately met with around eight different Autobots aiming their weapons at him. Among them were Ratchet and Blueshift. That disheartened Valkyrie until he noticed the bandage around Blueshift's neck cables. Then he felt both understanding and regret.

Valkyrie had promised Blueshift that he wouldn't hurt her, and he had meant it. But he _had_ hurt her, and from the look in Blushift's optics, it was clear she thought he'd done so on purpose.

The rest of the Autobots weren't giving him any kinder glares. Especially Ironhide, who was now starting to move towards Valkyrie, cracking his servos as he walked.

Only then did Optimus choose to intervene.

"All of you, stand down!"

"All due respect, Prime," Ironhide said, "but frag you. This 'Con's caused us enough problems already. He dies."

"I'm not a Decepticon, you hot-headed piece of scrap!"

Valkyrie's words clearly shook Ironhide, as the red mech stopped in his advance as his optics went wide.

"Ironhide," Prowl said, finally speaking up, "Valkyrie was fighting Megatron. More importantly, he was trying to protect the humans. That alone should be reason enough for you to trust him."

"And what about Blueshift? We just gonna let what he did to her slide?"

"I didn't try to hurt her."

All optics focused back in on Valkyrie with that statement.

"I know almost none of you trust me, and I understand completely. But believe me when I say I hadn't tried to hurt Blueshift. Primus, I didn't even want to hurt her. She saved my life, dammit!"

And Valkyrie did the last thing any of them expected.

He started crying.

* * *

Blueshift wasn't sure what to think anymore.

When Valkyrie had come through the groundbridge, she had been ready to shoot his head clean off. After what he'd done, it was only fair.

But then he just…broke down, right in front of everyone. He'd dropped to his knees and started begging Blueshift for forgiveness. Primus, was he really this broken up about what happened?

No. There were other things troubling him. Blueshift could see it in his optics.

Valkyrie desperately wanted her to forgive him, though, but she just…she couldn't. Not honestly, at least. Not yet.

Thank Primus Optimus finally decided to lead Valkyrie off to a cell for the time being. Blueshift wasn't sure how much more she could take.

When he returned, Optimus dismissed everyone till tomorrow. When asked what was going to happen with Valkyrie, the Prime said that he was giving the mech some time to calm down before he interrogated him.

Now, Blueshift was in her quarters, wondering if she'd actually lost it finally. She was considering talking to Valkyrie.

She wasn't anywhere near an expert on psychological issues, but it was clear something was bothering Valkyrie. As a medic, she had a duty to take care of him, regardless of what side he was on. And it was clear Valkyrie trusted her more than any of the other Autobots.

Rising from her berth and exiting her quarters, Blueshift began walking toward the cell block. Prowl was standing guard in front of Valkyrie's cell, and seeing Blueshift walking towards him, turned toward the femme and calmly said, "Unless you need something, Blueshift, I suggest you keep moving. I'm not to let anyone in to see Valkyrie until…"

"Until Prime deems him trustworthy. Yeah, I know. But Prowl, something's troubling Valkyrie. And he clearly trusts me more than anyone else here. Someone needs to find out what's bothering him, or we're not going to get as much info out of him."

"Blueshift, I understand your concern. But as I said, I'm not supposed to let anyone…"

"Prowl, please."

With a huff, Prowl relented and said, "Fine. But anything happens, know that it's on you."

"I know. And thanks," Blueshift said as Prowl opened the door to Valkyrie's cell.

"Just find out what's wrong with him."

Nodding, Blueshift walked into the cell. As soon as she had cleared the doorframe, Prowl closed the door behind her, locking her in. In front of her, Valkyrie sat on the floor in recharge, servos cuffed behind his back.

Quietly, Blueshift walked up to the sleeping mech and tapped his shoulder. Almost immediately, his optics flashed to life and he swung his head back and forth, quickly taking in his surroundings before his optics came to rest on Blueshift smiling slightly at him.

Gruffly, he said, "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to check on you," came Blueshift's slightly-too-cheerful reply.

With a chuckle, Valkyrie retorted with, "Well, that's a load of scrap. Why are you _really _here?"

Suddenly, Blueshift's slight smile shifted to a frown as she said, "Look, Valkyrie, I may not be quite the medic Ratchet is, but I can tell when something's bothering someone. So can you please tell me what's going on?"

"Why do you care?" Valkyrie asked, expression suddenly turning rather hostile.

"Valkyrie, if you're seriously considering joining us, we can't afford to have emotional baggage weighing you down. Sometimes, talking about things can help lessen the burden."

"Blueshift, that's…" he sighed, "it's a really long story."

"How long?"

"My life's story."

"Well, then I guess I'd better make myself comfortable."

Chuckling and shaking his head, Valkyrie said, "You are nothing if not persistent. Alright, well, where to begin? Hm…well, I guess it's only proper to start from the beginning, now, isn't it?

"I was a laborer in Tarn before the war. I came from the Well back during the Quintessons' rein, so I was given the designation V-497."

"So that's why you have that marking," Blueshift said, pointing to the aforementioned designation printed on Valkyrie's left shoulder.

"Yes. I kept it as a constant reminder of the thing I fought against. Anyway, I worked in the power plants in Tarn. It was here that I met my…my best friend. You'd know him as Knock Out."

"Yeah, I'm familiar with Knock Out. He's…different from most 'Cons."

That last part earned Blueshift a chuckle from Valkyrie.

"Yes, Knock Out has always been a bit different. But he's not so bad once you get to know him. As long as you can put up with him obsessing over his looks."

"'Watch the paint,'" Blueshift mocked as they both burst into laughter.

Regaining his composure, Valkyrie continued, "I couldn't have made friends with him at a better time. Only a solar cycle later, the State Games began.

"Knock Out acted as my medic, and I have him to thank for my name. He'd patch me up, and I'd split my earnings from each fight with him. The money was good, and only got better as I quickly became a fan favorite, not for my brutality, but for my compassion. You see, I have a code, and that code dictates that I will never harm those who cannot defend themselves. In the pits, I'd be told time and time again to just finish off my opponents, but every time I refused.

"They would have barred me from the Games for my disobedience had I not become so popular. They wouldn't dare go against the demands of the mob, not if they valued their salary."

"I'd heard stories about the Games. Brutal example of why Cybertron needed change," Blueshift said, a dark tone in her voice, "I'm surprised you made it out alive. Not many did."

"Knock Out was good at his job. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here right now.

"One day, Knock Out came back from picking up supplies and would not stop talking about a gladiator from Kaon. I think you can guess who it was."

"Megatron."

"Yes. Though at the time, he was going by Megatronus. It wasn't long before word of him spread like wildfire. He was being hailed as a revolutionary who would finally rid the planet of its insufferable caste system and usher in a new Golden Age.

"But I am not one to rely on words alone. So, I pulled a few favors and managed to get permission for myself and Knock Out to go to Kaon. We met with Megatron after one of his matches, and after expressing interest in his ideals, he offered both of us a place amongst his Decepticon cause."

"What was he like?"

Confused, Valkyrie cocked his head slightly and said, "What do you mean?"

"Megatron. What was he like? You know, before the war. Optimus keeps saying that Megatron had been different before the war, but he never goes into details."

"Oh," Valkyrie said, now understanding what Blueshift meant. "Well, he was rather charismatic, believe it or not. And passionate about what he professed. But most of all, he was a brilliant political speaker. Give him something to talk about and before you know it, he has almost everyone siding with him. Nothing like the mech I saw only a few hours ago."

After a brief silence, Blueshift said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For you having to find out about Megatron the way you did. For blaming you for this," she said, pointing at the bandage around her neck cables. "And I'm sorry that Megatron's tyranny is bothering you so much."

"Blueshift, it isn't Megatron that's been bothering me."

"What?! Then what is?!"

"It's…it's Knock Out, Blueshift. During my escape from the _Nemesis_, I think I may have…have k-killed him."

"Oh, Primus. Valkyrie, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Don't be. He…wasn't in his right mind."

"How so?"

"The situation with the dark energon is far worse than any of you could have imagined," Valkyrie said, rage seeping into his words. "Megatron's infected everyone short of the Vehicons with the scrap! Because of _him_, I was forced to blow up my friend along with that entire fragging med bay!"

A very long silence followed Valkyrie's outburst.

Eventually, Blueshift rose to leave and was nearly at the door when she turned back to Valkyrie and said, "I'm sorry about Knock Out. And Tarn."

"You should be, since you Autobots are responsible for its destruction," Valkyrie snarled back, anger bubbling to the surface.

"Valkyrie, what are you talking about," Blueshift said, taken aback. "Vos and Tarn destroyed each other simultaneously. The Autobots had no involvement. I should know. I led a group into the rubble to search for survivors."

When Valkyrie didn't respond, Blueshift said, "Look, Valkyrie. I've got to go inform Optimus about the dark energon situation. We'll talk again soon, ok?"

Without waiting for a response, she commed Prowl and the door opened almost immediately.

* * *

Valkyrie was astonished. Did Megatron's deception really go that deep? Had Megatron really been deceiving him for this long? Was everything he thought he knew about the war a lie?

Regardless, if he was going to stop Megatron, the Autobots were his best and only option. As Shockwave would have put it, it was the only logical choice.

Valkyrie would side with the Autobots.

* * *

**So, a little bit of an origins story for Valkyrie. Next chapter will be Blueshift's, but there will still be plenty of other things going on that you do not want to miss.**

**Until then, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off!**


	9. Chapter 9: Origins: Blueshift

**Say hello to the biggest chapter yet! Figured I'd make this one extra long since I'm making you guys wait longer for new chapters. So grab some snacks and dig in!**

* * *

"So, what'd you find out," Prowl asked as Blueshift walked out of the cell.

"More than I bargained for," Blueshift said. "I need to speak to Optimus. Can you tell him to be expecting me?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Prowl stammered out, stunned that she found out something that required Optimus' attention. "So, can you tell me what you found out?"

"I'll let Optimus tell you," Blueshift replied coldly.

"Oooo-kay," Prowl said as he opened a com channel with Optimus.

* * *

Optimus sat in his room, deep in meditation as he attempted to commune with the Matrix. It wasn't something he did normally, but he required guidance on what to do about Valkyrie. He had been sitting there for hours now, and was on the verge of giving up when the Matrix began to glow vibrantly from where it resided in his chest. Suddenly, Optimus felt his consciousness get pulled into the Matrix and he was presented with a vision.

_He was aboard the _Nemesis. _Suddenly, an explosion came from around the corner as two dead Vehicons flew past him. Before he could react, Valkyrie and Blueshift rounded the corner and aimed their weapons toward Optimus. Fear gripped him briefly before they discharged their weapons and the shots passed right through him and hit something behind him._

_Turning, Optimus was met with the sight of two more Vehicons dropping to the floor dead._

_Suddenly, two Vehicons rounded the corner behind Blueshift and Valkyrie and took aim._

_"Blue, on your six," Valkyrie shouted._

_Without another word, Blueshift swiftly turned and shot three rounds from her shotgun, killing both Vehicons._

_Turning back to Valkyrie, Blueshift lifted her goggles and said, "Thanks, babe."_

_Wait, 'babe?'_

_Optimus didn't have time to ponder it as the Matrix dragged him off to another vision._

_This one was on Cybertron, and before him stood Valkyrie and Blueshift on a balcony that overlooked a city that Optimus quickly recognized as Iacon. Except it was Iacon more or less as it looked before the war._

_Then Optimus noticed that Blueshift was holding something in her arms, but before he could get a good look at it, he was shoved back to reality by the sound of his comlink being pinged._

Rising to his feet, Optimus answered his com to be greeted by Prowl.

**:Hey, Optimus? Er, Blueshift…convinced me to let her in to see Valkyrie. She just came back out and wants me to let you know she's heading your way to speak with you.:**

Odd. It wasn't like Prowl to just disobey orders. Blueshift must have made a good argument. She _was _pretty good at that.

**:Understood, Prowl. Did she happen to say what she wanted to speak about?:**

**:No. I asked and she said she'd let you tell me.:**

Alright, something was definitely off. Unless what she'd found out was extremely important, Blueshift wouldn't be keeping at all quiet about it.

**:Thank you, Prowl. I'll be ready for her when she arrives.:**

**:Alright.:**

Optimus closed the comlink and walked over to his desk. Several minutes passed before there was a knock at his door. Pushing a button on his desk, the door opened and Blueshift walked in, head hung and a dark expression on her faceplates.

"So, Blueshift. Prowl tells me you spoke to Valkyrie and have something to tell me."

Looking up, Blueshift said in a cold voice, "Megatron's raised the stakes."

Confused, Optimus replied, "What do you mean?"

"Dark energon. Valkyrie seems mighty convinced that Megatron's infected everyone short of the Vehicons with the stuff," Blueshift said, then added quietly, "Or he could just be searching for a reason for killing his friend."

Unfortunately, Optimus heard that last part and asked, "What do you mean he killed his friend? Blueshift, what else did you find out from him?"

Hesitantly, Blueshift began telling Optimus what Valkyrie had told her about his friendship with Knock Out and what he'd been forced to do aboard the _Nemesis_.

* * *

Bumblebee wasn't sure why almost none of the Autobots trusted Valkyrie. Sure, he'd hurt Blueshift, but he'd made it quite clear that it was an accident. Other than that, Valkyrie hadn't done anything wrong. If anything, he'd been helpful. He distracted Megatron to make sure Bumblebee, Prowl, and Optimus could retreat, risking his life doing so. And before that, he'd tried to protect an entire human settlement by himself from Megatron.

As far as Bumblebee was concerned, Valkyrie was fine in his book.

Right now, Bumblebee was walking towards the cell block with an energon cube. He figured Valkyrie needed one after his fight with Megatron. Besides, it was the least he could do after the mech covered their retreat.

Prowl saw Bumblebee walking towards him and was about to stop him before he noticed the energon cube in the mech's hands.

"Ugh, fine. Just don't do anything stupid," Prowl said as he opened Valkyrie's cell.

"_Uh…thanks_," Bumblebee whirred back.

_What's his deal? _He thought as he walked into the cell.

"I wasn't aware I'd be having visitors," Valkyrie's voice said from the other side of the cell.

Valkyrie was standing there rubbing his wrists, his stasis cuffs laying on the floor beneath him.

Bumblebee's optics went wide and, seeing this, Valkyrie reassured him, saying, "Don't worry. I'm not planning on breaking out this time. Just needed to get those blasted things off is all. They were starting to dig into my protoform. Besides, my internal weapons are offline, and you took my sword and rifle."

This seemed to have a calming effect on Bumblebee, as the young mech visibly relaxed after that last part. Valkyrie noticed the energon cube the yellow mech was holding and asked, "Hey, um, Bumblebee, right? Is that for me?"

Quickly glancing down at the energon cube he held, Bumblebee held it out for Valkyrie, nodding his head and whirring what Valkyrie could only assume was a yes.

"Thank you," Valkyrie said, taking the cube. Suddenly, an idea popped into Valkyrie's processor. "You know, maybe we could help each other out. You could teach me how to understand you, and once I get out of this cell, I could teach you some tricks I know. How does that sound?"

Bumblebee was about to whir back in agreement before remembering that Valkyrie couldn't understand him and instead just simply nodded.

"Alright. So, where do we start," Valkyrie asked.

Bumblebee thought for a moment before reaching into his subspace and pulling out a datapad. After tapping it several times, he flipped it around to face Valkyrie and whirred out, "_Can you show me how you got the cuffs off?_"

As he said this, the words appeared on the datapad for Valkyrie to read.

Laughing, Valkyrie said, "So, right into the tricks, eh?"

He knelt down and picked up the cuffs, offering them to Bumblebee so that they could be put back on. Bumblebee took them and Valkyrie turned around, putting his servos behind his back. Bumblebee put the cuffs back on and Valkyrie smirked.

"Now, watch carefully, because this has to be done fast."

* * *

"This is very disturbing news, Blueshift," Optimus said, "But you still went to Valkyrie against my orders…"

"Optimus, I went to Valkyrie because I could see he wasn't all the way there," Blueshift said, "It's my duty as a medic to…"

"You care about him, don't you?"

What?! No! He wasn't seriously…oh, no. No, no, no, no, no!

"Optimus, I care about him in terms of him being a patient and a potential ally. Nothing else."

"For now, that may be. But the Matrix has shown me that the two of you have some role to play in the near future. And it is not my place to question the Matrix."

"And just because it told you we were going to work together in the future, you automatically assumed that meant we had _feelings_ for each other?"

Optimus didn't respond and Blueshift could tell from the look in his optics that he knew more than he was letting on. But before she could call him out on it, he said, "Blueshift, I want you to return to Valkyrie and resume your conversation with him. He seems to trust you the most and the information you've gotten from him so far is incredibly useful. Dismissed."

Turning, Blueshift hung her head as her doorwings sagged and walked out into the halls, muttering a "Yes, sir" as the door closed behind her.

"Well, Blueshift, what kind of shit have you walked into this time," Blueshift said to herself as she began walking back toward the cell block.

It wasn't the prospect of talking to Valkyrie again that upset her. It was the idea that Optimus might just be using this as an excuse to extract information from him. Or worse, he could be using it as a way to push them together. Blueshift didn't need _that _on top of everything else.

_Though, he _is _kind of cute._

Wait, what? Where did that thought come from? She didn't have time to think about it as she was rounding the corner to the cell block.

Prowl saw her coming and moved to open the door before saying, "Optimus said you were coming. Bumblebee came shortly after you left, and he's still in there."

"Is he alright," Blueshift asked, becoming somewhat concerned.

"I commed him several minutes ago and he said he was fine. I'd go in, but I'd rather not get myself locked in there as well."

"I'm sure he's fine," Blueshift said assuredly.

"Alright," Prowl said as he opened the door.

Entering the room, Blueshift was almost flattened as Valkyrie came charging from her right while Bumblebee came from her left.

"Woah," she shouted as she rolled out of the way, arm forming into her shotgun as she went.

Startled, Valkyrie and Bumblebee crashed into each other and hit the ground hard.

Rising to her feet, Blueshift quickly switched out the ammo for EMP rounds and aimed the shotgun at Valkyrie, who was now sitting up and holding his head.

Seeing this out of the corner of his optic, Bumblebee ran at Blueshift and pushed her shotgun arm down.

"Bee, what are you doing?! He's gonna escape again," Blueshift yelled, trying to shove Bumblebee off of her.

"_He's not trying to escape! He's showing me tricks in turn for me teaching him how to understand me_," Bumblebee whirred back, keeping her arm pointed at the floor.

"Bumblebee, let her go," Valkyrie said, rising to his feet, "If she wants to hurt me, she can deal with the consequences of harming an unarmed prisoner."

"'Unarmed'," Blueshift spat back in disbelief. "You were just fighting Bumblebee. That hardly seems like 'unarmed' to me."

"Didn't you hear a word he just said? I was teaching him tricks in exchange for learning to understand him. When will you Autobots get it that I'm not your enemy?"

"And how'd you get your cuffs off," Blueshift retorted, pointing to the cuffs that were laying on the floor.

Shrugging, Valkyrie calmly replied, "I know a trick to get them off. Besides, they were starting to dig into my protoform. Bumblebee can show you how to do it, if you ever want to know."

Realizing that there was no sense in arguing with him anymore, Blueshift relaxed and let her arm return to its normal form. As she did so, Bumblebee let go of her arm.

Valkyrie casually walked past the two of them and sat down on the berth in the corner of the cell.

"It's because of this, isn't it," he asked suddenly, pointing at the Decepticon insignia on his shoulder. "It's because of this fragging symbol that you Autobots don't trust me."

"It's not the entire reason. At least, not for me," Blueshift said, slightly confused about why Valkyrie was talking about this. "It definitely doesn't help, though."

"Then I'd like to have it replaced with this," Valkyrie said as he projected an image from his optics.

It was a Cybertronian symbol, though not one that either Blueshift or Bumblebee recognized. It looked like a strange amalgamation of both the Autobot and Decepticon insignias.

"_What is it_," Bumblebee asked.

"It's an old Cybertronian symbol that has its origins in the waning days of the Quintesson's rule over Cybertron," Valkyrie explained. "It was worn by resistance members, and symbolized Cybertronian independence."

"Why not just get an Autobot symbol," Blueshift asked.

Hanging his head, Valkyrie replied, "While I may have turned my back on the Decepticons, I don't believe I am ready to call myself an Autobot."

Silence followed as Blueshift mulled the idea around in her processor. On the one hand, it may help lower tensions amongst the Autobots over Valkyrie's trustworthiness. On the other hand, she could face ridicule for using up resources on something like this.

Screw it. If her having to face ridicule was the price she had to pay for helping Valkyrie seek some degree of redemption, then so be it.

"Alright, I'll do it," Blueshift said, "And if Ironhide has anything to say about it, he can go fuck himself."

Cocking his head, Valkyrie asked, "Erm, what does 'fuck' mean?"

Blueshift facepalmed before saying, "Bee, hand him your datapad so he can look it up. Fair warning, it's not pleasant."

Valkyrie took the datapad and typed in the word, before gagging at the results, causing both Blueshift and Bumblebee to start laughing hysterically.

"I warned you," Blueshift managed to get out amongst her laughter.

Their laughter was infectious and, as much as he tried not to, Valkyrie eventually gave in and joined them.

This went on for several minutes before they all managed to collect themselves. Blueshift walked toward the door and motioned for Bumblebee to follow before saying, "I'm going to go grab my stuff so we can change up that symbol of yours. Anything else you want me to get you?"

"If you have red paint, I'd like it to be used on the symbol," Valkyrie said casually.

"Red paint. Got it," Blueshift said as she commed Prowl to open the door.

As the door opened and Bumblebee and Blueshift walked out, Prowl said, "So, you find out anything you can tell me this time?"

"Actually, yes," Blueshift said, a smirk forming on her faceplates, "Don't bother with stasis cuffs."

And with that, she and Bumblebee walked off, leaving Prowl very confused.

* * *

Ratchet wasn't sure what he was expecting to find when he walked into the med bay. But he was sure that it wasn't Blueshift rummaging through the various storage compartments in the med bay.

As he'd walked in, Blueshift glanced over at him and said, "Oh, hey, Ratch. Do you know if we have any red paint left?"

This caused Ratchet to cock an optic ridge in confusion as he said, "Uh, yeah. Why do you need _red _paint?"

That's when he noticed the cart with various welding tools and such on it.

"Blueshift, what are you doing with all this stuff," Ratchet asked, concern washing over him.

Annoyed that he was prying so much, Blueshift said, "Alright, I'll tell you. Just promise me you won't tell anyone. Especially Ironhide."

"Umm, alright," Ratchet said, becoming rather confused by the whole situation.

"Valkyrie wants to replace his Decepticon insignia with this," Blueshift said, bringing up an image of the symbol Valkyrie had shown her on her datapad. "He says it's a…"

"I know quite well what it is, Blueshift," Ratchet said, cutting her off. "What I want to know is why does he want _that_ symbol?"

"He said that, even though he's left the Decepticons, he doesn't feel ready to call himself an Autobot quite yet."

Nodding his head in understanding, Ratchet replied, "Alright, that explains all the tools. But why do you need red paint? That symbol was bronze colored."

"Valkyrie said he wants it colored red," Blueshift said plainly.

"Ok. I guess the bronze _would _have blended into his color scheme a bit too much. Red paint's in the top row, third compartment to your left."

"Why'd you move it all the way up there," Blueshift asked, grabbing a chair to help her reach the compartment.

"I moved all the paints up there. Got to keep them away from the twins somehow, right?"

"Yeah," Blueshift said, laughing slightly as she grabbed the red paint and climbed down, back turned to Ratchet.

Seeing an opportunity to play a trick on her, Ratchet quickly took the soldering iron off of the cart and held it behind his back before she finally got down and turned around.

Walking up to the cart, Blueshift set the paint down and started pushing the cart toward the door. She was nearly at the door when she noticed the missing soldering iron and turned back to Ratchet.

"Hey, Ratchet? You seen the…" she started to say, but was cut off as Ratchet placed a finger over her mouth and pulled the soldering iron out from behind his back.

"We never saw each other," Ratchet whispered as he winked and handed her the soldering iron.

"Thanks," Blueshift whispered back as she turned and left.

* * *

"What's all that for," Prowl asked as Blueshift came back pushing a cart.

"A little project. Can you open the door please," Blueshift said.

As much as he didn't want to, Prowl had standing orders from Optimus to let Blueshift in, and so he opened the door as he was asked.

"Thank you," Blueshift said as she pushed her cart into the cell.

Walking in, Blueshift found Valkyrie on the floor doing push-ups.

"What are you doing," she asked.

Stopping and bringing himself into a sitting position, Valkyrie replied, "What? I've got to stay in shape somehow."

"That bored, huh?"

Shoulders sagging, he replied in a mock whiny voice, "Yes."

That got them both laughing.

"You know, you're not that bad of a mech, Val," Blueshift said as the laughter began to die down.

"'Val?'"

"Little nickname. You know, like how Bumblebee gets called Bee sometimes?"

"Oh. Alright. What's yours?"

Blushing slightly, Blueshift answered, "Blue. How about we get started on that symbol, alright?"

"Alright," Valkyrie said, before adding, "You know, you look cute when you blush."

_Why did I just say that?_ He thought, mentally slapping himself for saying that.

The comment only made Blueshift blush harder as she said, "Umm…thanks."

Grabbing some of her tools, Blueshift walked over to Valkyrie and lowered her goggles before starting her work.

After a while, Valkyrie said, "So, what's your story?"

"What do you mean," Blueshift replied, not glancing up from what she was doing.

"Well, I told you about my past. It seems only fair you tell me about yours."

"I guess you're right. Well, I grew up in Praxus. Last job I had before the war was being a DJ at a club. In fact, I was working there the night the Decepticons launched their assault on the city.

"As I was trying to escape, I ran into this femme from the Autobot Academy. I think her name was Goldstreak. Anyway, she and this silver mech helped me get to this bunker they were heading to. From there, the Autobots managed to evacuate everyone they could.

"I joined up with the Autobots after Praxus, and began my training in Iacon. I learned medicine under Ratchet, but field medicine is where I excel. For that, I have the Protectobots to thank."

"I've heard about them," Valkyrie said, "They set up shop out in the Sea of Rust several solar cycles before I left. Being a thorn in Shockwave's side seems to be their only goal in life."

"So they're still alive?"

"And kicking. At least, they were when I left."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Blueshift said, "Good. Groove still owes me on a bet we made.

"Anyway, where were we? Oh, right. After I finished my training, I got put in charge of a small team. There were three of us. Myself, Catapult, and Cameo. I acted as team leader and medic. Catapult was our sniper, though she could still hold her own in close quarters. Cameo was our infiltrator and back-up sniper.

"We ran dozens of missions together. Even infiltrated Kaon a few times. We volunteered to be one of the search-and-rescue teams for Vos and Tarn. We didn't find anyone, but we did find out that the two cities destroyed each other. Cameo found remnants of some Vos-made missiles in several of the impact craters in Tarn. On a hunch, I had us redeployed to Vos, and guess what we found?"

"Tarn-made missile remnants," Valkyrie said questioningly.

"Yep. I reported it to Optimus, and we tried to get the word out, but Megatron managed to keep most of the planet in the dark.

"Shortly after Trypticon was destroyed, I got moved to Optimus' team while Catapult and Cameo left aboard the _Arclight_. Haven't heard from either of them since.

"And now I'm here. There, my life's story," Blueshift concluded as she finished shaping the new symbol on Valkyrie's shoulder. "Alright, we're almost done. Just need to paint it."

Reaching over to the cart, she put down the soldering iron and grabbed a paint gun and loaded it with red paint.

"Just a heads up, we ran out of regular Cybertronian paint a little while ago, so this is human paint. Still does the job, just has a tendency to sting a little when applied."

"Got it," Valkyrie said, getting anxious.

"Alright. Here we go," Blueshift said as she began applying the paint.

To her surprise, Valkyrie didn't even flinch.

The application process took several minutes, and when it was finished, Blueshift stood and lifted her goggles before asking, "So, what do you think?"

Looking down at his shoulder, Valkyrie had to admit, he was impressed. Not only had Blueshift managed to get the proportions down perfectly, she'd also managed to paint it without getting a speck on anything but the symbol.

"I like it. You did an amazing job, Blue. Thanks."

"No problem," Blueshift said, starting to put everything back on the cart. "Hopefully, that'll make some of the others trust you a bit more."

Just then, Blueshift's com pinged. Answering it, she was met with Prowl's voice.

**:Hey, Blue? Optimus wants everyone to meet on the bridge. Valkyrie included.:**

**:Alright, Prowl. We'll be out in a minute.:**

As she closed the comlink, Valkyrie asked, "What was that about?"

"Optimus just called a meeting. He wants everyone attending. Including you."

* * *

**I wonder what Optimus could want. Also, if anyone hasn't figured it out yet, the symbol is the cover image for the story.**

**For those of you who were observant, you may have noticed I mentioned a certain femme named Goldstreak. She, along with her silver-plated brother, Silvershot, belong to my good friend Goldstreak. Go read her story Golden Gods! It is absolutely amazing!**

**Catapult and Cameo are characters from the game Transformers Universe. Cameo is an upcoming character and thus, I have very little information about her. If you want to know what either of them look like, just go to the TF Wiki.**

**And I think that's all I have to say, so, don't forgot to review and until next time, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off.**

**P.S. Gold, if you're reading this on the day I uploaded it, go to bed. It's around 11:30 at night where you live when I'm writing this. XP**


	10. Chapter 10: Reinforcements

**Shorter chapter than last time, but I'm satisfied with where this chapter's at.**

**Other things I'd like to address is that the Prowl in my story is my own take on the character (you're the only one who said anything about this, Goldstreak). Also, Blueshift's Camaro mode is the concept Camaro they used for Bumblebee in Age of Extinction.**

**One more thing I'd like to say is that if any of you feel like doing some fan art of this, go right ahead. Just be sure to share it with me when you're done. If I like it enough, I'll give you a shout out and share the art work here.**

* * *

"Lord Megatron, an unidentified vessel is approaching Earth's atmosphere. Orders," the Vehicon asked.

Without a moment's hesitation, the tyrant replied, "Shoot it down. Don't take any chances."

"As you wish, my lord," the Vehicon said before closing the comlink.

* * *

"What do you think this meeting's about," Prowl asked as he and Blueshift escorted Valkyrie to the bridge.

"I don't know. Could be about what I told Optimus, but I doubt he'd need either me or Valkyrie in attendance if it was just that," Blueshift replied.

"Good point. Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough," Prowl said as they walked onto the bridge.

They were the last ones to arrive, Blueshift noticed. Everyone else was already there. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were towards the back on their left, Inferno and Cliffjumper standing in front of them. To the right were Bumblebee, Ratchet, Hound, Ironhide, and…Wheeljack? When did he get here? Blueshift hadn't seen him in nearly a month. Optimus must have ordered him to come as well.

As they walked in, Optimus, standing up front and center, nodded to them, causing most of those in attendance to turn to face them.

Including Ironhide.

"What the slag is _he _doing here?! And why the scrap doesn't he have cuffs on?!"

"Ironhide, please, calm yourself," Optimus said, hoping to avoid an incident. "I asked that Valkyrie be here as well. This concerns him as much as it does us."

Glancing over at Valkyrie, Optimus noticed the new symbol on his shoulder and said, "I see you've changed your insignia. May I ask why?"

"I do not wish to be associated with a cause I no longer believe in, Optimus," Valkyrie replied calmly.

"That's all well and good," Wheeljack said, reaching for his swords as his battlemask slid into place. "But Ironhide raised a mighty good question. Why aren't you wearing cuffs?"

Stepping between Wheeljack and Valkyrie, Prowl said, "He got them off by himself a while ago. He knows how to get them off, so putting them back on would be pointless. Besides, he hasn't once attempted to hurt anyone who's entered his cell or tried to escape."

"Both Optimus and I have told you. I don't harm the defenseless," Valkyrie said, before adding, "And I expect the same out of my allies."

Letting go of his swords and retracting his battlemask, Wheeljack said, "Well, if you got Prowl of all Bots siding with you, then I guess you check out. Welcome to our merry band of misfits, Valkyrie."

"Jackie, you can't be serious," Ironhide said with disbelief. "This guy's a 'Con, for Primus' sake."

Pointing to the bandage on Blueshift's neck, he added, "You see that? That's his fault."

"How many fragging times do I have to tell you," Valkyrie said, voice rising as he spoke. "It was an accident! Blueshift herself has forgiven me for it, and yet you continue to bring it up like you were the one that was hurt."

"Yeah, lay off, Ironaft," Sunstreaker and Sideswipe said in unison.

Cliffjumper chose then to jump in, saying, "Chill out, Ironhide. You're the only making a big deal about Valkyrie being here. You ever think for a moment that he might actually want to join us?"

Hound, not wanting to pick sides, merely backed away.

"And why do you suddenly care about me, huh," Blueshift said, deciding to put in her own two cents. "Up until he showed up again early today, you've been nothing but a complete asshole to me. But now that he's suddenly being granted asylum after pretty much risking his life to save Optimus', Prowl's, _and_ Bumblebee's, you want to suddenly act protective of me? Well, guess what? I don't need your 'help,' jackass!"

That did it! Ironhide glared at Blueshift before walking up to her and saying, "Why you little bitch!"

He went to take a swing at Blueshift, but Valkyrie grabbed his fist mid-swing and shoved him to the ground. Quickly getting back up, Ironhide went to charge at Valkyrie.

"Prowl, Wheeljack! Restrain him," Optimus ordered.

In a flash, the two white mechs had tackled Ironhide to the ground and Prowl cuffed him.

"Bring him up here," Optimus commanded. The two mechs did as they were told.

"Ironhide, I have tried to be lenient with you. But you have forced my hand. You're behavior has been unbecoming of an Autobot, especially one of your rank. You have disobeyed my orders, attacked an unarmed prisoner, and verbally and physically assaulted fellow soldiers. I am hereby placing you under arrest. Prowl, take him away! Get him out of my sight," Optimus said, shocking everyone.

"You can't do this! Optimus," Ironhide yelled as Prowl dragged him away, hoping that Optimus might reconsider. He didn't.

As Ironhide's yelling faded, Optimus said, "Hound, patch Prowl in. He needs to hear everything that is about to be said."

Hound did as he was told and gave Optimus a thumbs up when Prowl connected.

"Autobots, it has been brought to my attention courtesy of Valkyrie that Megatron has stepped up his game. All major Decepticons have been infected with dark energon. It is now all the more imperative that we stop the Decepticons before any of us return to Cybertron. We cannot allow a single Decepticon onto Cybertron's surface, or else we will have failed," Optimus said, pausing to allow this information to sink in.

Continuing, he said, "But there is nothing we can do about that right now. Instead, we must concern ourselves with this," he stopped and pressed a button on the holo-table behind him. Activating, the holo-table projected an aerial view of a forested area. Several trees were burning, and towards the center of it all was the source.

A crashed spacecraft.

"This vessel crashed to Earth less than an hour ago. From what little information has been gathered, we know that it is of Cybertronian origin," Optimus said before suddenly turning his attention toward Valkyrie. "I asked that you be present, Valkyrie, in the event that you might know something about this."

"I'm sorry to say that I do not," Valkyrie replied. "To my knowledge, there were no other troops sent out after me. And I do not believe that I was followed. Whoever it is arrived here of their own accord."

Then Valkyrie noticed something familiar about the ship.

"Optimus, is it possible to get a closer look at this ship," Valkyrie asked.

"Yes. Why," Optimus replied questioningly.

"I'll explain later. Can you zoom in on the rear of the ship, right side, just between the wings and the thrusters," Valkyrie said as Optimus did so.

Valkyrie's neutral expression changed to a frown as he immediately found what he was looking for. Right where he had said, there was a circular hole in the ship.

"A hole? What's so important about a hole," Cliffjumper said, confused and slightly annoyed.

"Not just any random hole. It's an impact point," Valkyrie explained. "When I was entering Earth's atmosphere, something hit my ship, causing me to crash. I've figured I just hit a random piece of debris. But now, I'm not so sure."

"And why's that," Cliffjumper asked.

"Because it hit the same spot."

Valkyrie's words ushered in a startlingly long silence that he eventually broke by saying, "Optimus, I request your permission to accompany the search party. I wish to investigate this, and I can act as backup in the event that the ship's occupant is hostile."

"Permission granted," Optimus replied almost without hesitation.

"What? Optimus, you can't be serious," Cliffjumper said. "What if he tries to escape again?"

"And where would I go," Valkyrie asked. "To the Decepticons? Even if I wanted to, I can't. I've been branded a traitor and am more than likely listed as kill-on-sight. Like it or not, I'm stuck with you."

"Ugh, fine! But you pull anything and I will see to it that you can never fly again," Cliffjumper threatened.

"Noted. Now can we get going," Valkyrie said, growing impatient.

"Yeah. Just follow me. I got to get my supplies," Blueshift said as the two of them walked off toward the med bay.

They were nearly there when Blueshift said, "So, what kind of vehicle did you scan?"

"A helicopter. It's a…Eurocopter Tiger, I think it was called."

Quickly looking the helicopter variant up, Blueshift stopped in her tracks as she said, "And where in the Pit did you manage to scan _that_?!"

"Military airbase near where I crashed. Why," Valkyrie asked.

"It's not exactly a common vehicle. There's only about 200 of them worldwide."

"Well, I guess that means I'm just that much more unique," Valkyrie said smugly.

Rolling her optics, Blueshift continued walking and the two were soon entering the med bay.

"Alright, just take a seat on any of the berths. I'll need a minute or two to get everything," Blueshift said as she began grabbing various things from around the room.

Valkyrie merely sat there and watched her, not making a sound.

"Ok," Blueshift said, "Med kit, check. Arm and leg bracers, check. Medical-grade energon, check. Soldering iron, check. Alright, we're good to go. Come on."

Standing, Valkyrie followed Blueshift back to the bridge.

Entering, Blueshift motioned to Inferno to follow her as she walked up to Optimus and said, "We're ready to go, sir."

"Excellent. The crash site is in upper New York, heavily forested area. Activating groundbridge in three, two, one."

As the groundbridge opened, Blueshift and Inferno ran through, with Valkyrie trailing slightly behind.

"I hope you know what you're doing, sending him out there with them," Cliffjumper said from the other end of the bridge.

Without turning to face him, Optimus replied, "As do I, Cliffjumper. As do I."

* * *

As he exited the groundbridge, Valkyrie was struck with just how beautiful a view he was treated to. All around him were tall trees covered in thousands of small, needle-like leaves. Everything had an orange tint to it as the sun set off in the distance. It seemed so peaceful.

That is, until he looked down the hill from where he was.

The crashed ship sat in crater with a trail of burnt trees behind it, while dozens more trees were burning around it.

He could faintly here someone to his right say, "Hey, Valkyrie. You still with us?"

Glancing over in that direction, he saw Blueshift staring at him, slightly concerned.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Valkyrie replied, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm still here. What's up?"

"I want you to transform and fly over the area. Your alt-mode has a thermal camera built in, so use that to see if you can find whoever was piloting this thing," Blueshift said, before grabbing Valkyrie's arm as he turned to leave. "But first, I need to link you up to my comlink. How else do you expect to communicate with me from the air?"

"Right," Valkyrie said as he reached for the small button on the side of his head that activated his comlink.

Blueshift did the same, and after their comlinks gave a positive beep, she said, "Alright. Three, two, one, sync." They let go at the same time, making sure that the comlinks were synchronized.

"Ok, I'm gonna go see how Inferno's doing. You go do what I said, alright," Blueshift said before transforming into her concept Camaro alt-mode and racing down the hill towards the fire.

As soon as she was out of site, Valkyrie transformed and took off. Activating his alt-mode's thermal camera, he was slightly upset to find that it was nowhere near as advanced as Cybertronian versions, but it still did its job. It was attached to the turret mounted to the front of his alt-mode, and he was surprised to find that the turret was on a swivel. Flying low over the crash site, he spotted Blueshift and Inferno, and then began working his way out from there.

About 20 minutes later, Blueshift called over the comlink.

**:You find anything yet?:**

**:Negative…wait, I see something due east of you. I'll circle over it.:**

**:Roger that. I'm on my way.:**

As the comlink closed, Valkyrie heard the faint sound of Blueshift's alt-mode engine starting off in the distance.

As the sound of her alt-mode came close, Valkyrie lowered himself as close to the ground as he could and transformed. Landing with a thud, he started walking towards the heat signature he'd seen. As he walked, Blueshift drove up beside him and transformed as well, walking next to him. As they got closer, the form of a silver mech could be seen between the trees, propped up against a tree.

Blueshift raced off toward it the moment she saw it, surprising Valkyrie.

"Silverbolt," she called in disbelief.

Lifting his helm, the mech grunted and said, "Blueshift? What're you doing…"

Silverbolt stopped when he saw Valkyrie approaching and yelled, "Blueshift, get down!"

As Silverbolt's right arm formed into a blaster, Valkyrie raised his arms in a surrending motion and yelled quickly, "Woah, woah! I'm with her!"

"The," he grunted, "The slag you are, Valkyrie."

Silverbolt leveled his blaster at Valkyrie's head and was about to fire when Blueshift ran up and shoved his blaster arm away.

"Blueshift, what are you doing?"

"He's telling the truth, Silverbolt," she said. "He's with us now."

Silverbolt was about to say something when his optics suddenly offlined and his frame slumped.

"Oh, slag," Blueshift said, concern seeping into her words. "Silverbolt? Silverbolt, can you hear me?"

She grabbed the mech's shoulders and shook him slightly, but he didn't react.

Then she noticed the energon pooling around his right leg. Moving to get a closer look, she found that multiple fuel lines had been severed and were rapidly leaking energon.

"Aww, frag," she said, motioning to Valkyrie to come to her. "He's got multiple severed fuel lines in his right leg. I need you to hold his leg still so I can patch him up, or he's not going to make it."

"Right," Valkyrie said, kneeling down and grabbing Silverbolt's leg.

Blueshift reached into her subspace and pulled out the med kit and the soldering iron. Placing the med kit on the ground, she activated the soldering iron and started welding the fuel lines back together. When she finished, she opened the med kit and pulled out several small metal sheets which she quickly welded over the wounds.

As Blueshift started putting her things away and moving to stand, Valkyrie asked, "What about the medical-grade?"

"Can't. He's not conscious and I don't have the time or resources to make an IV," she replied coldly.

Activating her comlink, she messaged Optimus to open a groundbridge.

**:Optimus, I need a groundbridge. We've got an old friend here, but he's in need a medical attention.:**

**:Copy that, Blueshift. Who is this 'old friend?':**

**:It's Silverbolt, Optimus.:**

**:Silverbolt…? Are any of the other Aerialbots with him?:**

**:Negative. He's the only one here.:**

**:Alright. Opening groundbridge now.:**

**:Copy that.:**

Closing the comlink, the groundbridge opened as Blueshift looked over at Valkyrie and said, "Give me a hand. He's not nearly as light as you."

Valkyrie did as he was told, grabbing Silverbolt by the legs as Blueshift grabbed under Silverbolt's arms. Lifting him up, they carefully carried him through the groundbridge back to the Ark.

As they came through to the Ark, Ratchet was waiting for them with a stretcher.

"Lay him down on here," the medic ordered.

Blueshift and Valkyrie did as they were told and as soon as Silverbolt was on the stretcher, Ratchet and Blueshift rushed off with him toward the med bay.

"So, Valkyrie," Optimus said from behind him. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Valkyrie facepalmed and said, "I got so focused on looking for survivors that I completely forgot. Can you send me back?"

"Inferno bridged back here a while ago. I'm sorry, but without someone watching you, I ca…"

"I'll go with him."

Cliffjumper walked into the room from the hallway, clearly having been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Cliffjumper, are you sure," Optimus asked.

"Yeah," Cliffjumper said. "Besides, what's the worst he's going to do to me? Scratch my paint?"

"Alright, but be aware that night is falling over that area. Daylight is limited as is, so be extra aware of your surroundings," Optimus said before opening the groundbridge.

"Got it. Alright, let's go fly-boy," Cliffjumper said as he ran through the groundbridge, Valkyrie hot on his tail.

* * *

**Alright, 10 chapters in already! Woo-hoo! This is an early upload, but I don't have time any time soon to upload it, so here you go.**

**Don't forget to review, and until next time, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off.**


	11. Chapter 11: Mysteries and Plots

**Hello everbody!**

**Sorry for the shorter chapter, things are nuts around here. Fall play starts tonight, so wish me, the rest of our stage crew, and the cast the best of luck!**

**Reminder, if you want to draw fan art, feel free! I only ask that you share it with me. I'll share it here and give you a shout out (if you want me to).**

**In other news, this story has surpassed 1,000 views! Thank you all so very much, especially those of you who have reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story! I couldn't do this without you!**

* * *

"Can you turn your headlights on? I can't see a blasted thing," Valkyrie said, crouching and reaching into the hole in the side of the ship.

"Yeah," Cliffjumper said, turning on his headlights and shining them at the hole. "You mind telling me what it is you're looking for?"

Just then, Valkyrie grabbed on to something within the hole and grunted as he yanked it out. Standing up, Valkyrie held out whatever it was that he'd found for Cliffjumper to see.

"This," he said.

"And what is 'this,'" Cliffjumper asked, shining his headlights on the lump of metal Valkyrie held in his servos.

"A Decepticon artillery round," Valkyrie replied. "At least, what's left of one."

"How did it get there?"

"I don't know. But I intend to find out."

**_Half an hour later:_**

"What do you mean it couldn't have come from Earth?"

Ratchet had come in with Blueshift after making sure that Silverbolt was stabilized. When they'd arrived, they found almost everyone else in deep discussion over the object Valkyrie had found.

"The trajectory is all wrong, Ratchet," Valkyrie said. "The round has limited mobility control, but nothing extreme."

"Then where the slag did it come from," the medic asked, irritated.

"I don't know," Valkyrie said, resigned.

"Regardless, it stands to reason that the Decepticons are firing on anything that comes into Earth's atmosphere," Optimus said, adding his voice to the conversation. "Finding where they are doing this from and putting a stop to it is now our top priority."

"So I have to perform data retrieval before I can blow things up? Great," Wheeljack said sarcastically.

"Unless you want more incidents like mine or Silverbolt's, I suggest you do, _Wrecker_," Valkyrie said rather seriously.

Everyone's gaze shot toward Valkyrie as Wheeljack voiced their question.

"How did you know I was a Wrecker," the white mech asked, suspicion laced through his words.

"I didn't," Valkyrie retorted. "But the way you acted was enough for me to take an educated guess. One that was right, apparently."

Chuckling, Wheeljack replied, "You know, you're smarter than you look."

"Umm…thanks, I guess," Valkyrie stammered out, unsure on how to respond.

He only got more nervous as he noticed that most of the assembled Autobots were still staring at him.

Seeing this, Blueshift shuffled over next to Valkyrie, grabbed his servo, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Glancing down at her, Valkyrie gave her a thankful look before she turned toward the other Autobots and said, "Can we please stop staring at Valkyrie? He's still a little shell shocked from recent events and you all staring at him isn't exactly helping."

Embarrassed at being called out, the Autobots turned their gaze off of Valkyrie. As they did so, Valkyrie glanced down at Blueshift with a questioning look until she winked at him, a slight smirk on her faceplates. Returning the smirk, Valkyrie turned his attention back to the conversation at hand.

Now, instead of staring at Valkyrie, the Autobots were staring at Optimus intently, as if silently holding a conversation with him.

This went on for about a minute before Optimus said, "Valkyrie, based on your actions recently and your willingness to assist us, I have decided that you are, at the very least, trustworthy. I am hereby granting you permission to roam freely around the ship, but I am assigning Blueshift to monitor you whenever you're not in your room. On that note, I have assigned you a berthroom. Blueshift, please show him to it. The rest of you are dismissed."

Blueshift was about to ask Optimus where Valkyrie's room would be when he sent her a message answering that question. The one next to hers. Of course.

"Well, let's get going," she said to Valkyrie. "Seems you got on his good side, so let's not change that now."

"Right. Well, lead the way," he replied.

She lead him down the halls, past the med bay, and back toward the crew quarters.

As they walked past her room, Blueshift said, "This is my room. If you ever need me, I'm either here or in the med bay. Your room is the one next to mine, so I doubt Optimus would mind if you just walked next door without being monitored."

Valkyrie merely nodded his head in understanding as they walked up to the door to his room and walked in.

Valkyrie couldn't help but admit he was a little surprised by just how large the room was. His quarters back on Cybertron hadn't even been half as large.

"So, what do you think," Blueshift asked.

"It's…rather large," Valkyrie replied.

Solemnly nodding her head, Blueshift explained, "They were designed to sleep multiple Bots. But by the time we left Cybertron, there were so few of us left that they were converted to single occupant rooms."

"I'm sorry," Valkyrie said.

"Don't be," Blueshift replied. "There's nothing either of us could have done, and dwelling on what could have been doesn't help anyone."

She turned and started walking toward the door to leave, but then suddenly turned back to face Valkyrie and did the last thing he expected.

She hugged him.

"Thank you," she said, "For helping us. And whether he wants to admit it or not, Silverbolt owes you his life. It may take some time for all of us to start fully trusting you, but I want you to know that I trust you and I'll be here for you whenever you need me."

As she finished speaking, Valkyrie hugged Blueshift back, and the two remained like this for several seconds before they heard someone walking towards Valkyrie's room. Quickly letting go of each other, Valkyrie walked over to his berth and sat down while Blueshift shot him a wink before walking up to the door and leaving the room.

Outside, she found Bumblebee walking towards her, datapad in his servos.

"Hey, Bee," she said, before asking, "What's that for?"

"_Optimus wants Valkyrie to learn as much as he can about the humans and told me to give him this_," Bumblebee explained.

"Well, he's in his room now if you were looking for him," Blueshift said. "It's the one next to mine."

"_Thanks, Blue_," Bumblebee whirred back thankfully.

As the yellow mech walked cheerfully past her to Valkyrie's room, Blueshift couldn't help but smile. Bumblebee was just so adorably innocent. And she cared about him like a younger brother. Ever since he'd come from the Well, the two of them had been inseparable. They were always there for each other.

* * *

"Lord Megatron, I fear we may have a situation," Starscream said, fighting the urge to flee out of fear of his master's wrath.

With a twinge of annoyance, Megatron replied, "Explain, Starscream."

"I sent drones to retrieve anything that could link us to the ship that we recently shot down, but it seems they arrived too late," Starscream said, bracing himself for what he knew would come next.

"WHAT?!"

The next thing the Seeker knew, his back slammed into the far wall and his vision blurred.

As his vision began to clear up, Starscream saw Megatron approaching and began crawling away while begging, "No, master! Please! I can fix this!"

Unable to escape, the Seeker was grabbed by the neck and hauled up to look his master in the optics.

"Explain," the tyrant barked.

"I…There was never any _real_ confirmation that the Autobots searched the crash site, my lord," the Seeker replied with barely contained fear.

Releasing him, Megatron rasped, "Then what are you suggesting?"

Gasping for air, Starscream wheezed, "We…we set a trap for the Autobots. Re-regardless of whether they know of our involvement or not, they will spring at the chance to gather any intel they can."

Suddenly growing enraged once more, the warlord barked, "Are you suggesting we just allow the Autobots to find one of our intelligence outposts?!"

Pushing himself off the floor, Starscream replied, "Not…not exactly, my lord."

**_Three days later:_**

Blueshift was in quite a good mood today. Valkyrie could tell just based on how she walked into his room.

"Hey, Val," she said as she came in. "Whatcha doing?"

"Just watching a human news report," he replied calmly, datapad in hand. "I swear, I will never understand how the humans can obsess so much over something as frivolous as fashion."

With a laugh, Blueshift said, "Sounds like a certain Autobot I know. Anyway, Ratchet sent me by to tell you that Silverbolt's up and Ratchet wants you to speak to him. I think he wants to make sure Silverbolt understands that you're an ally now."

"Alright," Valkyrie said, rising to his feet and setting the datapad on his berth. "I was getting bored anyway."

The duo walked down the halls to the med bay when Valkyrie said, "So, how's your day been going?"

"Oh, the usual," Blueshift replied. "Helping Ratchet, picking on Prowl, hanging out with Bumblebee. You?"

"Just sitting in my room, waiting for you to show up," Valkyrie said. "I'm starting to wonder if Optimus is actually just trying to bore me to death."

Chuckling, Blueshift said, "Oh, come on. It can't be that bad."

As she was talking, they came up to the med bay door and she said, "Alright, just act casual around Silverbolt. Be open with him. We need everyone here on the same page, alright?"

"Got it," Valkyrie said as he walked up to the door, before adding, "See you later."

Waving as she turned to leave, Blueshift replied, "See you."

As Valkyrie walked into the med bay, he found Silverbolt sitting on a berth while Ratchet stood beside him taking various scans and readings.

Seeing him come in, Silverbolt called over, "So, you finally decide to leave the 'Cons and become an Autobot, Valkyrie?"

"Close, but not quite," Valkyrie said, pointing to the insignia on his shoulder.

Confused, Silverbolt replied, "So, what are you then? A Neutral?"

"More like a Neutral with very close ties to the Autobot cause," Valkyrie said as he walked over to a chair and sat down. "But before we go any further, I want to know something."

"And that is," Silverbolt asked cautiously.

"How is it that you seem to know me so well, and yet I can say with certainty that I have never met you before," Valkyrie said.

"Oh, where are my manners," Silverbolt said sarcastically. "Silverbolt of Vos, at your service."

"You know, you can cut the attitude at any time," Valkyrie retorted, annoyed. "It's not like I saved your sorry aft or anything."

"Ha, you wish," Silverbolt exclaimed.

"Ah, actually, Silverbolt," Ratchet said, joining the conversation, "He did."

Stunned, Silverbolt started glancing back and forth between Valkyrie and Ratchet before saying, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. I owe my life to a 'Con?"

"Former-Decepticon," Valkyrie corrected as he held out his servo and added, "And friend."

After a moment's hesitation, Silverbolt said, "I never thought I'd do this," and shook Valkyrie's outstretched servo.

"And just so you know," Valkyrie said, "You don't owe me…"

He was cut off as Optimus' voice came over the intercom.

**:All Autobots to the bridge immediately.:**

"Looks like you'll have to finish that thought later, Valkyrie," Silverbolt said, rising to his feet. "Prime wants us."

* * *

**What is Screamer planning? Are Blueshift and Valkyrie becoming more than just friends? Stay tuned!**

**Don't forget to review and until next time, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off.**


	12. Chapter 12: Springing the Trap

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the wait on this chapter! Thanksgiving break was really hectic. But hey, it's here now and I can guarantee it's a better bargain than anything you bought on Black Friday.**

**Warning, there are a lot of page breakers in this chapter, but they were necessary. This chapter kind of goes all over the place.**

**Once again, if you want to make any fan art, feel free. Just be sure to share it with me.**

* * *

"What's the situation, Optimus," Blueshift asked as she came racing onto the bridge.

"Glad you could join us, Blueshift," Optimus said as he turned to the holo-table and activated it. An overview of a large, rocky hill appeared, a tunnel clearly visible on the side of it.

"Hey, I recognize that place," Wheeljack said, stepping forward. "That's that energon mine the 'Cons had depleted in the first few months we were here."

"That is correct, Wheeljack," Optimus replied. "But it seems the Decepticons are still getting some use out of it. Recent scans have shown heavy Decepticon activity in and around the mine. Which is why I want you to assemble a team, find out what the Decepticons are up to, and put a stop to it."

"Optimus, may I make a request," Valkyrie asked.

"Of course," Optimus said.

"I wish to accompany Wheeljack's team. I have knowledge of Decepticon tactics and can help identify weaknesses that can be exploited," Valkyrie said.

"Very well. Blueshift, can you go retrieve Valkyrie's weapons? He will have need of them," Optimus commanded.

"Yes, sir," Blueshift said as she left to do as she was told.

"Wheeljack," Optimus said, turning his attention back to the Wrecker. "Do you have anyone particular in mind that you wish to take on this mission?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Wheeljack said. "We're going to need someone to scout ahead, so Bumblebee's coming. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, you're coming in the event that we need a distraction. And…oh, slag."

"What's wrong," Optimus said, concerned.

"Ironhide."

* * *

"No, absolutely not," Prowl almost shouted. "I don't care what Optimus said, I'm not letting him out."

"As much as I want to agree with you, Prowl," Valkyrie said. "Wheeljack's right. If things go to scrap, we're going to need someone who can help get us out. And Ironhide's it."

"You're kidding, right," Prowl said in disbelief. "After all the scrap he's done to you, you still want to work with him?"

"We don't have much choice, Prowl," Wheeljack said.

"What about Inferno? Or Cliffjumper," Prowl suggested, pleading.

"Inferno's not built to take the kind of punishment Ironhide can. Neither is Cliffjumper," Wheeljack replied.

"Ugh, fine," Prowl said, opening the cell door, before pointing at Valkyrie and adding, "But don't come crying to me if he tries to kill you."

"Noted," Valkyrie said as he and Wheeljack walked into the cell.

"Come to rub in the fact that Optimus is going easy on you, 'Con," Ironhide said bitterly from where he sat on the cell's berth.

"Knock it off, Ironhide," Wheeljack said. "Valkyrie's more than shown his trustworthiness. He helped save Silverbolt's life earlier this week, for Pit's sake. What more do want from him?"

"Silverbolt? When the scrap did he get here," Ironhide asked, annoyed and slightly confused.

"Same day you decided to lose it and get yourself locked up in here," Valkyrie said. "But we can play catch-up later. Right now, we need your help with a mission. Optimus has sanctioned your temporary release, but only for this mission. Are you in or out?"

Interested by the prospect of getting out, Ironhide said, "What's the mission?"

"Mixed bag. Recon, data retrieval, demolition. So, what do you say," Wheeljack said.

Glancing up at Wheeljack, Ironhide said, "Count me in."

* * *

"Valkyrie, wait," Blueshift called as she ran onto the bridge.

Valkyrie had been just about to walk through the groundbridge, but stopped and turned as Blueshift ran up to him.

Motioning for him to come closer, she whispered in his audio receptor, "Good luck out there. And make sure Bee comes back in one piece, ok? He's like a brother to me."

Valkyrie whispered back, "Thank you. I will."

Flashing her one last smile, Valkyrie turned and walked through the groundbridge.

* * *

"What the slag is taking him so long," Ironhide asked with irritation.

"_Calm down, Ironhide. It hasn't even been a minute yet_," Bumblebee said, trying to ease the red mech's agitation.

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about it for long as Valkyrie came through the groundbridge right as he finished speaking.

"What took you so long," Ironhide said.

"Blueshift wanted to wish us luck," Valkyrie said plainly.

"Cute. Now let's get moving. We don't have all day," Wheeljack said, uncrossing his arms.

"Right. Bee, there's a ridge that overlooks the area outside the mine. The 'Cons don't patrol that area, and they'll have a hard time seeing you from below," Valkyrie said.

"_Got it_," Bumblebee said as he started making his way over to the aforementioned ridge.

"Who died and put you in charge," Ironhide asked gruffly.

"Relax, Hide. I'm still in charge," Wheeljack calmly explained, "Valkyrie's just acting as an advisor on Decepticon tactics. He'd already ran that maneuver by me before we left."

Ironhide shot Wheeljack a questioning glare and asked, "Why wasn't I let in on…"

"Anywho," Valkyrie said, trying to change the subject. "Bee just reported in. 'Cons are in limited numbers on the far side of the mountain. It's your call, Wheeljack, but I recommend we make our entrance over there."

"Won't they see our energon signatures," Sideswipe said, finally speaking up.

"No. 'Cons have jammers in the area that are masking energon signatures," Valkyrie explained.

"How do you know that," Ironhide asked suspiciously.

Holding his head in frustration, Valkyrie said, "Have you even tried to use your energon scanners?"

Embarrassed that he hadn't, but not wanting to admit it, Ironhide said, "Of course I did! I was just testing you."

Not believing a word of what Ironhide said, Valkyrie sarcastically replied, "Sure you were."

"Look, can we just make a decision already? I'm getting mud all over my paintjob," Sunstreaker complained.

Looking over to Valkyrie, Wheeljack nodded and turned to face the mountain as he said, "Alright. Let's get hiking."

* * *

"I take it back," Sunstreaker said rather loudly. "Getting muddy was just fine. Rocks aren't kind to the paintjob."

"Sunstreaker, I swear to Primus, if you don't stop bitching about your paint, I will personally weld your mouth shut. Clear," Ironhide shot back.

Optics momentarily going wide with horror, Sunstreaker cleared his throat and said, "Crystal."

Shaking his head in disapproval, Valkyrie moved over next to Bumblebee and said, "Hey, how you holding up?"

"_Good_," Bumblebee said as he glanced over at Valkyrie. "_Just wish those two would shut up_."

Chuckling slightly, Valkyrie suddenly turned very serious and whispered into Bumblebee's audio receptor, "Does anything about this mission feel off to you?"

Nodding his head in agreement, Bumblebee replied, "_Yeah_. _'Cons are in almost the exact same formation they were in the last time we were here_."

"Agreed. I looked over the mission reports before we left. Let's keep this to ourselves for now, ok? I don't want the others panicking."

"_Alright_," Bumblebee said, taking a quick glance over at Sunstreaker. "_So_, _why_ did _we bring him_?"

Rolling his optics, Valkyrie replied, "I have no idea."

* * *

"Lord Megatron, Ravage reports having seen five Autobots and Valkyrie making their way around the mountain as you predicted. Should I warn our troops stationed there," the Vehicon asked.

"Negative. Have Ravage continue monitoring their progress and inform us when they reach the target," Megatron said, leaning back in his throne, rather uncaring of the whole ordeal.

"As you wish, my lord."

* * *

"Any suggestions, _advisor_?"

"Shut it, Ironhide. I'm thinking," Valkyrie said as he glanced down at the valley below them.

The group had made their way around the mountain undetected, but now they had a different problem. The 'Cons had changed up their positioning slightly, and now there were more Vehicons where they'd intended to start their infiltration.

"Wrecker style," Wheeljack suggested.

"No. Too noisy. We'll have more 'Cons on us than we can handle. What we need," Valkyrie said, turning to face the twins, "Is a distraction."

The twins smirked and glanced at each other before Sideswipe said, "One distraction, coming right up."

As the twins ran off into the woods, Valkyrie leaned in next to Bumblebee, cupped a servo around his audio receptor, and whispered, "_That_'_s_ why we brought him."

Chuckling, Bumblebee whispered back, "_At least we don't have to deal with his whining for a while_."

Fighting to suppress a laugh, Valkyrie was saved as a rock hit his head and he looked up to see where it came from.

"_What is it_? '_Cons_," Bumblebee asked, growing rather concerned.

Switching his optics to thermal mode, Valkyrie began scanning the mountainside above him. Following the path the rock had come from, Valkyrie found what he was looking for and smiled.

"No," Valkyrie said, pointing at the mountain lion climbing the mountain above them. "Just a big cat."

"_Wow_," Bumblebee whirred in amazement.

"Yes. Earth is full of wonders, isn't it," Valkyrie said calmly.

Turning, the two mechs walked over to Ironhide and Wheeljack.

**_Four hours later:_**

It was late afternoon now, and they were starting to worry. Neither Sunstreaker or Sideswipe had reported in once since they left, and they weren't answering their coms.

"_You think they were captured_," Bumblebee asked, breaking the ominous silence amongst the group.

"At this point, Bee, I think that that's very likely," Wheeljack said.

Just then, they saw something dash from one tree to another behind them.

Jumping to their feet, the group slowly approached the tree and, as they got close, drew their weapons.

At the sound of this, Sideswipe jumped out from behind the tree, arms up in a surrendering motion.

"Woah, woah! You win, ok," he whisper-yelled, fear in his optics.

"Sideswipe, you fragging idiot," Ironhide said, anger spreading across his faceplates. "Another second and you would've been dead. That was beyond stupid."

"Where's Sunstreaker," Wheeljack asked.

As he said this, a multitude of cracking and crashing tree branches fell onto Wheeljack, as well as a certain golden mech.

Facepalming, Ironhide walked over to Sunstreaker and threw the mech off of Wheeljack, saying, "Oh for the love of Primus. Why do we keep you two glitches around?"

He then motioned for Valkyrie to come help him.

The two began lifting branches off of Wheeljack until the white mech could haul himself up.

"We'll discuss this later. Did you at least get that distraction set up," Wheeljack asked, obviously annoyed.

"Oh, we set up a distraction alright," Sideswipe said rather smugly. "Just be ready to move when it goes off, which should be right about…"

A massive explosion can be heard and seen off in the distance.

"…Now. Move!"

Not even bothering to ask half the questions running through their processors, the group dashed over toward the mine just in time to see dozens of Vehicons rush off toward the explosion.

As the Vehicons began to disperse, there were only a handful left still guarding the mine.

"Alright," Wheeljack said. "Valkyrie, Ironhide, and Bumblebee will take the ones on the left while the twins and I will take the ones on the right. Got it?"

There was a unanimous "Got it" from the group before they split to do their assigned tasks.

The Vehicons were dispatched with brutal efficiency, silently, quickly, and quietly.

"This is almost too easy," Ironhide said boastfully.

"Yeah," Wheeljack said, sheathing his swords before mumbling, "And that's what worries me."

"Well, what are we waiting for," Sunstreaker said impatiently. "That distraction isn't going to last forever."

"Right. Let's move," Wheeljack said as they ran into the mine.

* * *

"Coming up on the central chamber. Be ready for anything," Wheeljack said just loud enough for the group to hear.

Valkyrie drew his rifle and cocked it.

Sunstreaker gave him an odd look and said, "Really? Projectile weapons? And I thought you using a handheld was weird."

"I prefer to make sure my enemies go down, Sunstreaker. Besides, I believe the saying goes, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'," Valkyrie shot back before Wheeljack held up a clenched servo and they all came to a stop outside the central chamber.

He brought up three fingers and began counting down. As he hit zero, he opened his servo and started waving them in.

Running in one after the other, the group scanned the room, weapons raised. And found nothing.

"What," Ironhide said, confused. "Where's the energon? Where's the intel?"

Valkyrie began wandering around the chamber and spotted something behind a rock formation. Moving to get a closer look, he discovered it was a Decepticon cloaking device. Drawing his sword, he swiftly sliced the machine in half. As the machine sparked and died, a large portion of the chamber's wall faded away, revealing a massive corridor behind it.

"I believe I just found it, Ironhide," Valkyrie said as the group cautiously approached the corridor and entered. As they did, Valkyrie noted that it looked eerily similar to the halls of the _Nemesis_, only on a much larger scale.

_I guess Megatron's taken up interior decorating amongst the Decepticons_, he thought to himself.

As they neared an intersection, Wheeljack raised his servo to order them to stop, then reached for something on his hip. Grabbing it, he placed a small metal sphere on the ground.

"What's that," Ironhide whispered.

"Recon drone I've been working on," Wheeljack whispered back. "Figure this is a good excuse to test it out."

"You mean you haven't tested it," Valkyrie asked in disbelief.

Ironhide turned to Valkyrie and gave him an understanding look, then said, "That's just how Wheeljack works."

"But won't the 'Cons see it," Valkyrie said, exasperated.

"I hope not," Wheeljack said with a smirk. "Crawling through the ducts isn't exactly fun."

Valkyrie gave him a confused look that quickly changed to understanding and then approval.

Grabbing the drone, Wheeljack pointed to a vent opening above them and said, "Ironhide, give me a lift."

Nodding, Ironhide walked below the vent and crouched slightly, holding his servos in front of him to lift Wheeljack up.

Wheeljack came toward Ironhide at a slight run, and the two used the momentum to hoist Wheeljack up to the vent where he placed the drone.

Lowering himself back down onto the floor, Wheeljack tapped something on his head and the drone suddenly sprung to life. What had once been a ball was now more of a cylinder, and a small lens could be made out in the center. A small light to the side of the lens flashed red several times before turning a steady green.

"Alright," Wheeljack said, turning to address everyone. "I've set it to map the facility from the ducts and warn me if it sees anyone other than us."

"Yeah, yeah, that's cool and all, but can we please get moving before the 'Cons come back," Sunstreaker said with a hint of concern.

Glancing up as the drone rolled off into the ventilation system, Wheeljack said, "Alright, let's see what there is to find."

* * *

"My lord, Ravage reports that the Autobots have found the base and are currently working their way through it. Permission to warn our troops stationed there," the Vehicon said.

"Denied. Notify Starscream and his seekers to be ready to deploy on my command," Megatron said, growing rather bored of the whole situation.

"But my lord, surely we have sufficient forces there to…"

"Are you questioning my orders, drone," Megatron said, staring daggers into the Vehicon's visor-like optics. "Perhaps you'd like to join Starscream's little suicide mission?"

"N-no, no! I merely wished to…to point out a fact, m-my liege," the Vehicon stammered, fear somehow emanating from its emotionless faceplate.

"Of course," Megatron said, leaning back into his throne.

* * *

The door opened with an agonizingly long screech.

"_Empty_," Bumblebee whirred, poking his head into the room.

"Seriously? What are the 'Cons doing here? This place is a scrap heap," Ironhide said, frustrated. Turning to Valkyrie, he said, "No offense, but you wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"

"Unfortunately, no," Valkyrie said. "It just doesn't make sense. Megatron never abandons a base unless absolutely necessary, and by that point, there's normally nothing left to retake. So why was this abandoned while still in working order?"

Frustrated, Valkyrie slammed his fist into the nearest wall.

"Sshhhh…keep it down," Wheeljack scolded. "You want the whole place knowing we're here?"

"I think they already do," Valkyrie said, earning a surprised look from Wheeljack. "Admit it, you feel it too. This was a trap from the start."

"Then what do we do now," Sideswipe asked.

"We're stuck here until we find that long-range com-jammer," Wheeljack said. "We find it, shut it down, and call for immediate extraction. Simple as that."

"Oh, I don't think it will be quite that simple, Autobots."

* * *

"I should be out there with them. They've been gone too long."

"Primus, Silverbolt. Can you just calm down," Blueshift said, becoming annoyed. Silverbolt had been worked up almost the entire time Wheeljack's team had been gone.

"How can I? They could be hurt, or worse. And I'm just sitting here doing nothing," Silverbolt complained.

"And you're going to stay sitting here unless you can calm down and let me do my job," Blueshift said, reaching for a sedative to shut the mech up. "Ratchet said you're not to leave the med bay until he gives you the all-clear. And he's not going to give you the all-clear if you keep tensing up your leg so I can't get a good look at how you're injury is healing."

Finding what she was looking for, Blueshift grabbed the sedative and injected it into the mech.

As the drugs began to take effect, Silverbolt said, "They'd better make it back."

"They will," Blueshift said assuredly. "I'm sure of it."

* * *

"Well, this could be going better."

_Thanks for stating the obvious, Ironhide_, Valkyrie thought, peeking out to shoot.

Of course Starscream had to show up. Why couldn't anything ever be simple? Now they had a seeker armada between them and the jammer.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe threw grenades down the hall while Bumblebee and Valkyrie provided covering fire. As the grenades detonated, Ironhide finished off any stragglers and they moved up to the jammer.

"Finally," Ironhide exclaimed. "Let's blow this thing and get the slag out of here!"

Sideswipe strapped a bomb on the jammer and they ran away. Once they were far enough down the hall, Sideswipe detonated the bomb and Wheeljack commed base.

**:Wheeljack to base. We're in need of immediate extraction. Do you copy?:**

**:Wheeljack, this is Optimus. We are reading you. Stand by for groundbridge.:**

"Woah," Ironhide yelled, coming to a stop just passed the latest intersection.

"Why'd we stop? What's wrong," Wheeljack asked.

"That's why," Ironhide said, pointing to the patch of cosmic rust in front of them.

"Frag. Alright, back the way we came. Let's move," Wheeljack said, turning back and heading into the intersection before nearly having his head blown off by a stray Vehicon shot.

Ducking back into the hall, Wheeljack began returning fire before getting back into cover and comming base again.

**:Optimus, we could really use that groundbridge right about now!:**

**:Copy. Activating groundbridge. Get out of there!:**

Just then, a groundbridge portal opened.

On the other side of the intersection.

"Slag. Alright, we'll go across one at a time. I'll go first, then Ironhide, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Valkyrie, and finally Bumblebee. Cover each other as we cross. Go," Wheeljack said as he sprinted across the intersection and took cover on the other side.

As soon as he opened fire, Ironhide ran across, and everything went as planned.

Until Bumblebee's turn came.

The yellow mech was halfway across the intersection when a shot hit him in the knee and he fell.

"Bee," Valkyrie shouted as Vehicons began to swarm up around him.

"Come on! We gotta go," Ironhide yelled, pulling on Valkyrie.

"No! I'm not leaving him behind," Valkyrie yelled back, determined to save his young friend.

"It's too late for him! We gotta go now," Ironhide said as he yanked Valkyrie through the portal as he screamed, "Bee!"

* * *

**Oh no, Bee! What are they going to do to him? Find out over the next several chapters!**

**Anyway, Goldstreak, don't give me crap about the page breakers. I know I used a lot and I'm sorry, but I felt that they were needed.**

**I think that's all there is to say so don't forget to review and until next time, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off!**


	13. Chapter 13: Beekeeper Part 1

**So, I felt kind of bad about not uploading last week, and I got this done ahead of schedule, so…yeah. Here you go!**

**Also, if you could head on over to my friend Goldstreak's profile and wish them luck on their exam tomorrow, they would really appreciate that.**

**Once again, just a reminder that if you want to make some fan art, feel free. Just make sure you share it with me so that I know about it.**

* * *

"You AFT! I could have gotten him out if you hadn't interfered!"

Valkyrie's words hit Blueshift's audio receptors as she neared the bridge, and they were quickly followed by the sound of metal hitting metal. At this, concern washed over her.

Running in, she said, "What's wrong? What happened?"

However, her concern only grew as the assembled mechs refused to meet her gaze. And that's when she noticed something.

"Where's Bee," she asked. "Where is Bumblebee?! Is he…"

One glance at Valkyrie's distraught face told Blueshift everything.

Optics going wide, she managed to get out a choked "No" before fainting and collapsing to the floor.

**_One hour later:_**

Blueshift woke up to the worst processor-ache she'd ever felt.

"Ugh," she moaned as she lifted herself up into a sitting position, holding her head in her servo.

She was lying on a berth in the med bay. When did she get here?

"Oh, thank Primus, you're awake!"

Turning to the sound of the voice, Blueshift found Valkyrie sitting in a chair next to her.

And that's when it all hit her.

Nearly fainting once more, Valkyrie caught her this time and said, "Oh, no. We're not pulling that scrap again."

Sitting her up, Valkyrie leaned back in his chair and tried to hold back his emotions as he waited for the inevitable questions.

"Bee…he isn't…he's not de…" Blueshift started to say before Valkyrie held up a servo to stop her.

"Blue, I wish I knew. Primus, do I ever wish that," Valkyrie said, before finally letting his emotions loose. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I promised you I'd bring him back and I failed."

"Val, please," Blueshift said, placing a servo on the side of his face to calm him. "Start from the beginning. Tell me what happened."

"It was a trap, Blue. They'd been expecting us," Valkyrie said, trying to calm himself. "You can ask Optimus for the details, but everything went wrong when Starscream suddenly showed up with an army of seekers. We destroyed the jammer and were trying to lose the 'Cons when we ran into cosmic rust. We tried to double back, but the 'Cons had closed in and had us pinned. The groundbridge opened on the opposite side of the intersection we were at, so we went one at a time, covering each other as we went. Bee was the last one to cross, but he got shot in the leg and fell."

"Why didn't you go and get him," Blueshift asked somewhat angrily.

"I tried, Blue. I did. But Ironhide held me back," Valkyrie said, trying to suppress his anger as he hung his head. "He told me it was too late and that there was nothing we could do. I tried to get away, but he was too strong. Seekers swarmed around Bee and I lost sight of him. Ironhide dragged me through the groundbridge after that."

Looking up, Valkyrie found Blueshift shaking uncontrollably.

"Blue…" he began, but was cut off as she slammed her fist into the berth and screamed in anger.

"What in the name of the Pit is going on in here," Ratchet said as he came out of the operating room adjacent to the med bay.

Glancing over and seeing that Blueshift was up, he turned to Valkyrie and said, "Why didn't you tell me she was awake?"

"You told me not to interrupt you," Valkyrie shot back.

"Fair enough. So what's got her so worked up," Ratchet asked.

"Ironhide hasn't told you yet," Valkyrie asked. When Ratchet shook his head, Valkyrie sighed and explained, "The whole thing was a trap, and Bee didn't make it back with us."

"What?! Why didn't anyone tell me? Get out of my way," Ratchet said as he pushed Valkyrie to the side and knelt before Blueshift. "Blue…Blue, come on. Look at me."

Lifting her head to face him, Ratchet was met with Blueshift's tear-stained face before she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

Hugging her back, Ratchet gently stroked the back of her head as he said, "Shh, shh. It's ok. Let it out. We'll find him and bring him back. I promise."

This went on for several minutes before Blueshift eventually fell into recharge.

Gently lying her back down on the berth, Ratchet got up and turned to Valkyrie.

"Care to explain why Bumblebee was left behind," he said bitterly.

Hurt, Valkyrie explained, "We were making our escape and he got shot in the leg. I went to go get him, but Ironhide held me back. Last thing I saw before Ironhide dragged me through the groundbridge was Bee getting surrounded by seekers."

Shooting a glance over at the operating room, Ratchet muttered, "Fragger."

"Ratchet," Valkyrie said. "About you and Blueshift…"

"I'm," the medic sighed. "I'm her adopted father. Bumblebee's, too."

Nodding his head in silent understanding, Valkyrie said, "I'm sorry."

Turning, Valkyrie walked out of the med bay, shooting one last glance at Blueshift before he left.

* * *

News traveled fast about Bumblebee's disappearance.

Prowl had been monitoring Teletraan 1 when word reached him. He was on his way to confront Optimus about it when he saw Valkyrie over by the groundbridge controls.

"What the slag do you think you're doing," Prowl shouted, startling Valkyrie.

Turning, the flier replied, "Finding Bumblebee."

Realizing what that implicated, Prowl deployed his pistol and leveled it at Valkyrie's chest.

"Step away from the groundbridge, Valkyrie," Prowl ordered. "You're not authorized to leave base without permission. This is way out of line."

Ignoring him, Valkyrie continued to work the groundbridge controls.

"Are your audios malfunctioning? I said step away from the groundbridge! That is an order," Prowl shouted.

Turning, Valkyrie gave Prowl a deathly stare and said, "If you're going to stop me, do it. But know that you're ruining your best chance at getting Bumblebee back."

Keeping his pistol trained on Valkyrie, Prowl said, "You leave, you betray every last little shred of trust we had in you."

"And if I stay," Valkyrie shot back, "Then Bumblebee has no chance of being found."

As he finished saying this, he activated the groundbridge and shot through it with his thrusters.

"NO," Prowl screamed, firing off three shots after Valkyrie, but the groundbridge closed before the shots even reached it.

* * *

Valkyrie fell out of the groundbridge and landed flat on his aft.

Scrambling to his feet, Valkyrie took a moment to allow what had just happened to settle into his processor.

Prowl had shot at him. He'd actually shot at him. That wasn't part of the plan.

At least, it hadn't been part of what little plan there was.

_I don't have time for that right now_, he thought, shaking his head.

He'd bridged back to where they'd left the Decepticon base from.

Walking over to the intersection where Bumblebee had been shot, Valkyrie couldn't help but thank the Allspark for what he found.

A drying trail of energon, leading away from the intersection and down the hall that the seekers had come from.

Following it, he was led back to the entrance to the base, and the trail suddenly stopped before a patch of scorched ground.

_Frag. Short-range bridge_, he thought, before running out of the mine and into the valley.

If the 'Cons had used a short-range bridge, that meant they had a staging area nearby.

Transforming, Valkyrie took off and started scanning the area, hoping beyond hope that he'd be able to find what everyone else had seemed to miss.

* * *

"What do you mean he's gone," Optimus asked, incredibly concerned.

"He said he was going after Bumblebee. I tried to talk him out of it, but…"

"He's walking into certain death," Optimus said grimly. "Prowl, gather a team. We're going after him."

Prowl gave Optimus a salute and turned to do as he was told.

As he reached the doorway, Optimus quietly added, "And pray that we are not too late."

* * *

"…we need you, Silverbolt."

_What? Who needs Silverbolt_, Blueshift thought groggily as she came out of recharge.

"Valkyrie's run off after Bumblebee," Prowl said. "If we're going to have any hope of finding him, we're going to need another flier."

Shooting up off the berth, Blueshift glared over at Prowl and said, "Valkyrie did _what_?"

Startled, the two mechs turned to Blueshift and just stared for a while before Prowl eventually said, "He disobeyed orders and went out in search of Bumblebee. Prime's gathering a team to…"

"Count me in," she cut him off.

"Erm…I don't know, Blue," Prowl said.

"I'm going," she said determinedly.

Relenting, Prowl said, "Alright. We leave in two hours. Come on, Silverbolt."

As soon as the two mechs left the med bay, Blueshift got off the berth and started walking over to the operating room, cracking her servos as she went.

She had some unfinished business to attend to.

Entering the med bay, she found Ironhide sitting on the operating table, head in his servos.

Walking up to him, she cocked a punch as he turned to look at her.

"Blue, I'm…OOOOOFFFF!"

The punch connected with his lower jaw and sent him sprawling off the operating table, landing on the floor with a resounding thud.

Moving over to the other side of the table, she kicked the downed mech and said spitefully, "You left him to die, you fragger! You left my _brother_ to die!"

She continued to kick him several more times before she knelt down and started punching him relentlessly.

She'd punched him about twenty times when it dawned on her that he wasn't fighting back. Hesitating for a moment, she allowed his facial features to sink in.

An understanding look, tear-stained optics. This wasn't the Ironhide she knew.

"You're," he coughed out through the energon pooling up in his mouth. "You're right, you know? To be mad at me. To blame me. I saw him as a soldier rather than a friend."

_Oh, Primus. What have I done_, she thought, looking in horror at the energon that covered her servos. _He was ready to apologize, and I came and started beating the shit out of him. What is wrong with me?_

"Why'd you stop," he said from beneath her. "You and I both know I deserve wor…"

"Stop. There's no justifying what I just did, so stop trying to," she said. "The least I can do is fix the damage I've done."

* * *

Valkyrie reviewed the message one last time before he sent it.

**:Autobots, if you are recieving this, then it means that I have allowed the Decepticons to capture me in the hope that it will aid me with my search for our missing comrade. Do not come after me. You will be wasting your time. I repeat, do not come after me. Valkyrie, out.:**

Sending the message, he shut off all non-essential systems to conserve power for what he was planning.

He'd almost missed the 'Con base had it not been for the slight flicker in the hologram that hid it. Switching over to thermal, he'd been able to see past the hologram and get a glimpse at their defenses.

Rockets, cannons, and the thing he was counting on them using. An EMP cannon.

The prototype shield technology Shockwave had installed in him should, with enough power, be able to absorb most of the blast.

Diverting the excess power from the non-essential systems to the shields, Valkyrie dived toward the base.

Just as he'd thought, the EMP cannon turned to fire on him. Speeding up to try and get closer to the ground, Valkyrie barely noticed as the cannon fired.

The shot impacted with Valkyrie's rotor, stopping him dead in his tracks. The shield absorbed most of the blast, but it still did enough damage to shut down several other systems.

Namely, his life signal, optics, and T-Cog.

Forced back into his bipedal form, Valkyrie crashed to the ground, blinded, and feigned unconsciousness.

* * *

"What the…" Ratchet said, surprised by the sudden influx of information.

"What is it, Ratchet," Optimus asked, curious as to what his friend had discovered.

"I was monitoring Valkyrie's life signal and trying to get a lock on it when it just…disappeared," Ratchet explained. "And then this message came through."

* * *

**Valkyrie, I really hope you know what you're doing. And that you can find Bee and bring him back.**

**Anyway, I think that's all there is to say so don't forget to review and until next time, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off.**


	14. Chapter 14: Beekeeper Part 2

**Hello everyone!**

**First, I'd like to say thank you for over 1,500 views. I definitely could not have done that without you!**

**Second, if any of you get queasy around torture and the like, or just don't like seeing characters in A LOT of pain, then you may have a hard time reading this chapter.**

**Once again, I'd like to remind you that I'm fine with you making fanart, just so long as you share it with me so that I know about.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

**:…I repeat, do not come after me. Valkyrie, out.:**

"We can't just let him go through with this, can we," Prowl asked. "I mean, he's walking into the lion's den."

Optimus had made it quite clear that the reason for this meeting was urgent. Now Blueshift knew why.

Valkyrie had, for lack of a better word, vanished. And he didn't want to be found.

"Ratchet," Silverbolt said. "When you say his life signal disappeared, do you mean it offlined?"

Stunned by the notion, the medic retorted, "Of course not! It's more like it's being actively blocked."

"So are we going after him or not," Prowl said anxiously, then turned to Optimus. "Well, Optimus?"

Sighing, the Prime said, "Under normal circumstances, I would say yes. But these are not normal circumstances. And Valkyrie made it abundantly clear that he does not want us to follow him. I fear that our involvement may end up jeopardizing his mission."

"You're not actually suggesting we just leave him, are you, Optimus," Blueshift said. When he didn't reply, she continued, "Optimus, I've already lost one friend today. I'll be damned if I'm going to just sit by and lose another."

"Blueshift," the Prime said. "Even if we did go after him, we have no idea where he is and no way of finding out. As he said, we'd be wasting our time. All we can do is hope that he knows what he's doing."

* * *

_What the frag did I think I was doing_, Valkyrie thought as he was dragged through the halls of a Decepticon installation.

The 'Cons hadn't fallen for his feigned unconsciousness, and instead knocked him out shortly after finding him. They'd also left a rather large, painful gash across his faceplates in doing so.

But none of that concerned him right now. What did was finding out where he was.

Checking his chronometer, Valkyrie saw that about 45 minutes had passed since he'd been captured. That left the 'Cons with more than enough time to have moved him far, far away from the base where they'd found him.

And the lessened gravity told him that he'd definitely been moved.

"Well, well. Look who's finally coming to," one of the Vehicons dragging Valkyrie taunted. "Eyes forward, traitor. Someone wants to speak to you."

Glancing up, Valkyrie quickly took in his surroundings. He'd been drug into some kind of chamber that bore a strong resemblance to a throne room.

And the being who sat on the throne made Valkyrie snarl in hatred.

Megatron.

"My, my. Valkyrie. What a pleasant surprise," Megatron said, rising and walking over to the balcony that overlooked Valkyrie, leaning casually upon the railing that bordered the balcony. "Tell me, have you by chance come to beg my forgiveness?"

Spitting out a glob of congealed energon, Valkyrie rasped, "Fuck. You."

"Oh, come now, Valkyrie," Megatron smirked. "Surely the life of a lowly Autobot doesn't appeal to you more than that of a Decepticon."

"I'd sooner be offlined than join the likes of you," Valkyrie said defiantly.

"Very well, have it your way," Megatron said with a sigh before turning to Valkyrie's "escorts" and saying, "Throw him in with the rest of the lot. If he won't join us, he can at least help us in another way."

Turning to walk back to his throne, Megatron shot one last glance at Valkyrie and said, "Oh, and welcome to Earth's moon."

* * *

The door opened as the scrawny silver seeker walked into the torture chamber.

"So, are we willing to cooperate yet, Bumblebee," Starscream asked as he began circling his victim, who sat on his knees, servos chained to the floor.

After making his fifth full circle around the Autobot, Starscream said, "Do you _really_ wish to continue from where we left off that badly? Well, then, allow me to _oblige_!"

Jabbing his clawed servo straight through Bumblebee's shoulder armor, Starscream ripped into the protoform beneath, drawing a great deal of energon.

Screaming in pain, Bumblebee tried to get away, to no avail.

Laughing maniacally, Starscream removed his servo from the Autobot's shoulder and said, "Stupid Autobot. The only way out of this for you is by telling me what I want. So, I'll ask you again. Where is the Ark?"

Through ragged intakes, Bumblebee whirred, "_Frag_. _You_."

Blacking out in pain, Bumblebee's form slumped in his restraints. Starscream glared to one side of the room as a form emerged from the shadows.

"Conduit, patch this sorry piece of scrap up," he said. "I still haven't had my fun with him."

* * *

"In you go, _sir_," the Vehicon said sarcastically, shoving Valkyrie into the cell.

As the door shut, Valkyrie lifted himself up and started brushing off the dust that covered his front when he noticed he wasn't alone.

Glancing up, he momentarily ignored that filth coating his frame and said, "Oh. Well, hello there."

He'd been thrown in a cell with a small group of Autobots. There were two femmes, a large behemoth of a mech, and another mech that reminded Valkyrie heavily of Ratchet.

Suddenly, one of the femmes stepped forward and said, "That's a pretty nasty gash you got there. Triage, do what you can."

The Ratchet-looking mech, who Valkyrie guessed was Triage, walked up to him and deployed a welder from his arm, saying, "This might sting a little. And, please, take a seat."

Valkyrie did as he was told and sat down, allowing Triage to do his work. As the medic worked, he eventually asked, "So, what's your name, soldier?"

"Valkyrie," the flier replied calmly.

"Wait, Valkyrie of Tarn," Triage asked, shocked, as he pulled the welder away from Valkyrie's face and started backing away. "Oh, frag this. Catapult, I am not patching this guy up. He's a 'Con general!"

"Former-Decepticon general," Valkyrie quickly corrected, before realizing something. "Wait, Catapult? Blueshift's old teammate?"

The femme who'd spoken earlier said, "Yeah. What's it matter to you, 'Con?"

"Alright, first, I am not a Decepticon anymore, ok," Valkyrie said. "Second, Blueshift herself told me about you. She's on Earth right now, fighting alongside Optimus Prime."

"Sure she is," Triage said in sarcasm-laden voice.

"Triage, shut it," Catapult snapped. "Start explaining, Valkyrie, or I'll have Monsoon here put some dents in you."

To emphasize her point, the behemoth called Monsoon cracked his servos.

"Alright, alright! Calm down," Valkyrie said, raising his servos in surrender. "I crashed on Earth about two weeks…"

"What the frag is a week," Triage asked.

Catapult shot the medic a glare as Valkyrie explained, "A week is what Earth's dominant species, humans, call seven rotations of the planet on its axis. Look, I'll let Optimus explain it to you if we ever get out of here."

Triage moved to say something, but Catapult raised a servo to silence him and said, "Speaking of Optimus, care to continue explaining how you seem to know so much?"

"Right. Well, as I was saying, I crashed on Earth about two weeks ago and got knocked into stasis from the impact," Valkyrie said. "I woke up a week later in the Ark's med bay. Ratchet explained that Blueshift had found me and I had her to thank for my life."

Stopping for a moment to spit out another glob of congealed energon that had formed in his mouth, Valkyrie continued, "Optimus tried to appeal to me. Revealed various things that showed much of what I believed to have been a lie. Claimed Megatron was using dark energon once more."

"I told you there was a reason for the sudden optic change, Triage," the other femme, pink in color, said.

"Ah, give it a rest, Cameo," Triage said, annoyed.

"Cameo," Valkyrie said, getting the femme's attention. "Blueshift spoke highly of you and Catapult. She'd be very happy to see the two of you again."

Cameo nodded her head in appreciation, and Valkyrie was about to continue when he suddenly started coughing profusely, energon spurting out of his mouth.

He began to fall forward, but Catapult caught him and glared at Triage, shouting, "Fraggit, Triage! I don't care how you feel about it, just fix him!"

* * *

"You know, I'll never be able to figure out if bandages are a blessing or a curse," Ratchet said as he removed the last of Blueshift's neck bandage. "There we go. You should be thankful it was just a scalpel. Anything bigger might have left a nasty scar."

"Oh, yeah. That makes me _so _thankful," Blueshift said sarcastically. "Remind me again why you couldn't have just patched it up?"

Shrugging, Ratchet said, "Wasn't big enough. It would have been a waste of resources. Besides, it would almost definitely have left a scar. And I can't have my girl running around with a nasty scar on her neck."

Smiling and rolling her optics, Blueshift got up off the berth and walked over to the mirror to get a better look at her neck.

Looking at herself, she saw that her neck was fine. Her paintjob? Not so much. There were scratches almost everywhere.

Turning to Ratchet, she said, "Sure, a scar isn't exactly pretty, but have you even glanced at my paintjob?"

Chuckling, Ratchet said, "Yes, Blue, I did. I'll go get the paints."

Flashing him a smile as he walked off, Blueshift went over to the berth to lay down.

She was about halfway to it when a sharp pain surged through her spark, knocking her to the floor face-first as she gasped in pain.

Hearing this, Ratchet ran into the room and knelt down next to Blueshift, flipping her around and helping her sit up.

Blueshift clutched at her chest as the pain went on for several more seconds before subsiding.

"What was that," Ratchet asked. "Bumblebee?"

Blueshift merely nodded her head in confirmation as tears began to fill her optics.

* * *

Starscream could only laugh as he watched the Autobot scout writhe in pain as the poison made its way through his fuel lines.

"You bring this pain upon yourself, Autobot," the seeker said with a smirk. "Just tell me where the Ark is, and I can make it all go away."

For as young as this Bumblebee was, Starscream was surprised by his resilience. He'd resisted forms of torture that Starscream hadn't needed to employ in millennia. He just hoped the poison would finally break him.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Catapult said. "You went on a mission, it turned out to be a trap, Bumblebee got captured, you disobeyed orders to go after him, allowed yourself to be captured, and now you're here. Did I miss anything?"

"No, that pretty much sums it up," Valkyrie said, face now welded shut. "Now how about you? How'd you get here without any of the Earth-bound Autobots knowing?"

"Sounds like the same way you crashed. The _Arclight_ had picked up on a faint encrypted signal from Optimus inviting us here," Catapult explained. "We were nearing the moon when we started taking heavy fire. Next thing I know, I'm in a cell, chained up to the wall. The 'Cons started using us as a slave labor force shortly afterward. Back then, there were more of us. 'Cons' treatment has taken its toll on us. We're all that's left."

Shocked, all Valkyrie could manage to say was, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Catapult quickly shot back. "From what you've told us, the Decepticons on Cybertron have no idea what's been going on here. There's nothing you could have done."

Nodding, Valkyrie said, "Hold up. You said they're using you as slave labor. For what, exactly?"

Before anyone could answer, the cell door opened and a Vehicon poked its head in.

"Time to go to work, scrapheaps," it said in a gruff voice.

The group began making their way out of the cell as Catapult moved next to Valkyrie and whispered, "See for yourself."

* * *

**Oh, boy. I have a sick, sadistic mind, don't I? But don't think that means I'm going to let up on Bee.**

**Anyway, we see some old faces, and some new ones. Just one question. Who's going to make it out alive?**

**I think that's all there is to say so, don't forget to review and until next time, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off.**


	15. Chapter 15: Beekeeper Part 3

**Surprise!**

**Early chapter this week!**

**Yeah, it's short, but I promise that with what this chapter sets up, the next one will be far from it.**

**Thanks to Goldstreak, it has been brought to my attention that Hasbro, in their ****_infinite wisdom_, decided to shut down Transformers Universe. Understandably, I am beyond pissed and hope that Hasbro reconsiders this massive mistake. The news hit me a little bit too late, and servers for my area are already down, so I'm unable to give the game a proper goodbye. If you can still play, do so, and enjoy every moment of it, as it won't last much longer.**

**As always, if you want to draw fan art, just be sure to share it with me.**

**Song for the chapter: "Sonne" by Rammstein.**

* * *

"Why. Won't. You. _Talk_," Starscream yelled as he dug his clawed servos into Bumblebee's chest, coming close to the mech's spark chamber.

Unbeknownst to Starscream, Bumblebee had begun to grow used to this treatment, eliciting only a slight yelp of pain from the abuse his frame was receiving.

Angered by this, Starscream started dragging his servos upward, tearing away more and more of the mech's frame.

Bumblebee had long since had his torso armor stripped to allow for easier access to his protoform so that it could be repaired after Starscream was finished with him. It sat in a heap in the corner of the room, scratched and torn apart and coated in Bumblebee's spilled energon.

As Starscream's claws came close to Bumblebee's neck, he finally let out a horrific scream before blacking out from the amount of energon he'd just lost.

Beneath him was a massive pool of his energon, accumulated after the many hours that he'd been forced to endure Starscream's torture.

"Starscream, you need to pace yourself," Conduit said as he came out of the shadows. "You keep going like this and we'll run out of energon and parts in a matter of hours. And Megatron will be very displeased if that happens."

"And what do you expect me to do instead," Starscream asked with a wild look in his optics as he pulled his servos out of Bumblebee's frame. "If the Autobot would just cooperate, I wouldn't be brought to this point!"

"Starscream, you need to go and cool off," Conduit said in a calm yet commanding voice. "Besides, that wound you've made's gonna make him bleed out if I don't get working soon. Now leave."

With an indignant huff, Starscream turned and left the room, leaving a trail of energon behind him.

"Great, and he's gonna expect _me _to clean that up," Conduit said in annoyance as he began working on Bumblebee.

* * *

"Grab your gear and keep moving, scrapheaps," the Vehicon Enforcer shouted.

As it said this, sections of the walls to the left and right of Valkyrie and his new-found friends retracted, revealing rows of various tools.

Slowing to get a better look, Valkyrie realized all too quickly why that was a mistake as the Enforcer behind him shoved him with its X18 Scrapmaker.

"Keep moving," it said.

Figuring arguing with the drone would get him nowhere, Valkyrie complied, grabbing tools off of the racks.

As he walked, Valkyrie glanced down at the tools and noted that it was standard mining equipment. However, what confused him was the residue coating the tools. It looked almost like…

"Cybermatter," a voice to Valkyrie's right said.

Turning his head, Valkyrie found Monsoon next to him, giving him an understanding look. It surprised Valkyrie, as the hulking mech hadn't said a word since they'd met. He'd begun to think Monsoon was a mute.

"The Decepticons have cracked the code," Monsoon continued. "They use us to mine it, and then take the benefits for their own."

"Cut the chatter," the Enforcer said, shoving Valkyrie once more.

* * *

"Report," the holographic head of Megatron barked.

Bowing, Starscream said, "My liege, I wish I could have better news. Much as I try, the Autobot refuses to break."

"Then you must try harder," the head replied.

"I would, lord, if not for Conduit's intervention," Starscream said. "Every time I seem to be making headway, he has me stop, claiming that anymore could kill the Autobot."

Scowling, Megatron's disembodied head said, "Continue as normal, for now. If Conduit continues to get in your way, notify me."

Bowing and reaching to close the communication, Starscream was interrupted by the sound of something moving in the ducts above him.

"What was that," Megatron asked, concerned.

"Unknown," Starscream said, moving over to a separate control panel. "Scanning the ducts now."

As the scans progressed, Starscream began to glance around nervously until a beep brought his attention to the completed scans.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Starscream turned to Megatron's head and said, "All clear, my lord. Just a pack Earth lifeforms that made their way into the base. Lions, I believe they are called. I'll have troops get them out immediately."

Nodding in approval, the head replied, "Be on your guard, Starscream. I am receiving reports of unauthorized groundbridge use to random bases across the planet. It would be a _real shame _if something were to happen to you."

"Understood, my liege," Starscream said as he closed the communication and walked out of the room.

As the door closed behind him, one of the vent covers opened and a figure emerged.

"Moron," it whispered as it began messing with the controls.

* * *

"Work faster! Megatron wants this cybermatter ASAP," a Vehicon barked as it walked by Valkyrie and the other Autobots, whipping Valkyrie when he shot the drone a glance. "What the frag do you think you're looking at, punk? Get back to work!"

The blow had caused Valkyrie to drop to his knees in pain, and as he got back up, he gave the Vehicon one last hateful glare before doing as he was told.

As the Vehicon walked away, Catapult turned to Valkyrie and asked, "You alright?"

Smirking, Valkyrie replied, "Just fine."

Puzzled, Catapult looked at Valkyrie's back where he'd been hit only to find not even a scratch.

Gasping in surprise, Catapult asked, "How…"

"Prototype shield tech," Valkyrie explained. "I worked as Shockwave's head of security. Working for the cyclops definitely had its perks."

Chuckling slightly, Catapult quickly glanced around to make sure none of the guards were looking and then whispered, "You keep talking about getting out of here. How do you plan on doing that?"

"Cameo's good at infiltration, correct," Valkyrie whispered back.

"Yeah, why," Catapult asked.

"I'm still figuring out how to get out of the cell, but once we're out, I saw a control center on our way over here," Valkyrie quickly explained. "I figure you and Cameo sneak over there while Monsoon, Triage, and I provide a distraction. We can gain control of this base and maybe even establish contact with Optimus if we're lucky."

Nodding in agreement, Catapult said, "Good plan. Just one question. How do we get down to Earth?"

"They bridged me up here, didn't they," Valkyrie said with a smirk. "What's stopping us from bridging back down?"

* * *

Ratchet was in the med bay organizing their supplies when Blueshift walked in.

"Hey Ratch," she said, flashing him a smile.

Ratchet turned to return the welcome before he noticed the stiffness of Blueshift's walk, as well as the inflamed and irritated protoform in the middle of her chest. Slag, why did she have to be so stubborn?

"Blue," Ratchet said with a heavy amount of concern. "You need to close off your end of the bond. You're killing yourself, dammit."

"No," Blueshift yelled back. "I will not leave Bee to face the 'Cons alone! He needs…"

Blueshift's optics went wide as she reached for her chest.

His concern only growing, Ratchet rushed toward her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I…I can't," Blueshift stammered, shocked. "I can't feel Bee anymore."

"What? What do you mean," Ratchet said, becoming increasingly worried.

Instead of a response, Blueshift stared at Ratchet as tears welled up in her optics.

* * *

**Next chapter is going to be very gritty. Be ready.**

**If you want the lyrics for "Sonne" or any other song by Rammstein, go to herzelied . com. There, you can find the English translations for almost all of their songs.**

**Anyway, I think that's all there is to say, so, don't forget to review, and until next time, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off.**


	16. Chapter 16: Beekeeper Part 4

**Merry belated Christmas everyone!**

**I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, Kwanza, or whatever it is that you celebrate! Mine was excellent. Got myself a Masterpiece Prowl now, which is absolutely awesome! But what about you guys? Let me know what you guys got in your reviews!**

**This chapter is, as one of my favorite Transformers reviewers on Youtube, ThewAdams, would say, "Ohh, it's a big 'un!" Go check him out, by the way. He is absolutely hilarious! And no, he did not ask for a shout out, nor did I offer. I'm just doing this for the hell of it.**

**Warning, the gore fest continues in this chapter, so if you don't like it, don't read it. It's minor in this chapter, but it is definitely still there.**

**Guys, please feel free to make artwork. Someone is making a piece for me, and their work will be featured. If you want to give your artistic abilities some of the attention you believe they deserve, this is a great way to do so.**

**Also, I'd like to point out that only one person has guessed right as to who the mystery character is. To help with your guessing, here is a hint: they have appeared in this story before.**

**I think that's everything, so dig in and tell me what you think!**

* * *

"Fraggit, Starscream," Conduit yelled. "Why can't you just listen to me for once?!"

Starscream had returned to continue torturing the Autobot. Conduit had told him he wasn't finished fixing him up yet, but Starscream ignored him and immediately began ripping the Autobot apart.

Now, not even five minutes later, the Autobot's life lay in Conduit's servos.

"I would have the information…OOOFFF," Starscream said as Conduit shoved him aside and started removing the Autobot's restraints.

"What the slag do you think you're doing," Starscream said in an accusatory tone. "Freeing him is treason!"

"I'm not freeing him, you imbecile," Conduit shouted. "His spark stopped beating and I need to get it going again."

As he removed the last of the restraints, Bumblebee's corpse-like frame fell into Conduit's waiting arms. Shivering in disgust, Conduit laid Bumblebee on his back and pulled out a pair of defibrillators.

Placing the paddles as close to the right spots as he could, Conduit shouted, "Clear!"

As the charge went off, a spasm went through Bumblebee's frame, but nothing else.

"Frag," Conduit cursed, adjusting the paddles slightly and once again shouting, "Clear!"

Another spasm shot through Bumblebee's frame, and, slowly but surely, a slight spark beat could be made out.

Sighing in relief, Conduit rose to his feet and walked over to where Starscream stood.

Before the seeker could get a word out, Conduit shoved him into the nearest wall and pinned him there.

"You pull another stunt like that Starscream and I will personally see to it that Megatron has your corpse paraded around the _Nemesis_," Conduit barked. "It's bad enough your sadistic aft is responsible for our lack of supplies, but now you nearly killed the very thing we've been using those supplies on. Get out of my sight!"

Giving him one last shove, Conduit backed away from Starscream and got to work repairing Bumblebee's mangled frame.

Giving Conduit a hateful stare, Starscream slunk out of the room, muttering all sorts of curses and profanities as he went.

* * *

"I'll kill them all," Ratchet roared as he stormed onto the bridge, racing toward the groundbridge controls.

Prowl jumped into Ratchet's path, hoping to stop him, but instead ended up flying into the nearest wall.

Seeing this, Ironhide charged at Ratchet, tackling the medic and pinning him to the floor.

"What the frag do you think you're doing," Ironhide exclaimed, struggling to keep Ratchet down.

"They need to pay," Ratchet snarled. "Nobody murders my child and gets away with it!"

As Prowl yanked himself out of the wall and made his way over to Ironhide and Ratchet, Ironhide pulled Ratchet's servos together and Prowl slapped stasis cuffs on the medic.

As the cuffs took effect, Ironhide was able to easily pick up Ratchet and sit him up against the nearest wall.

"Prowl, call Prime," Ironhide commanded, then turned to Ratchet and said, "You, start explaining."

"I'm not saying slag until Prime gets here," Ratchet said stubbornly.

Shrugging, Ironhide said, "Fine by me."

* * *

"Alright, so let's go over this one more time," Valkyrie quietly said.

They'd returned to their cell about half an hour ago, and they'd been finalizing their escape plan since.

"Monsoon and I will pretend to start fighting, and when the guard comes, I'll take him out and unlock the door," Valkyrie explained. "Then, Cameo and Catapult will sneak over to the control center while the rest of us create a diversion. Cameo and Catapult will alter the base's security systems to target any Decepticons, and that'll do the hard work for us. We then try to establish contact with Optimus and groundbridge out of here. Are we clear?"

Everyone gave an affirmative nod, and Valkyrie and Monsoon walk over toward the door.

"Just like we practiced," Valkyrie whispered, before letting out a yell and charging at Monsoon.

As planned, Monsoon sidestepped Valkyrie and grabbed his torso before tossing him across the room, causing a rather large crash.

Right on cue, their guard, unit 8R0, started banging on the door, yelling, "Knock it off! Don't make me come in there."

Continuing with the plan, Monsoon walked over to where he'd thrown Valkyrie and started pounding on the wall while Valkyrie moved over into the small space between the door and the wall, a small compartment on the side of his right leg opening.

Unaware of the ruse, 8R0 opened the door and started moving into the cell, bringing its Neutron assault rifle to bear on the inmates.

The drone had gotten maybe five steps in before a knife shot out of Valkyrie's leg compartment and into his hands.

Rushing 8R0, Valkyrie shoved it to the ground before jumping atop it and embedding his knife in its head.

8R0 weakly flung its arms at Valkyrie, trying to get the mech off of it, to no avail. After several seconds of useless struggle, 8R0 went limp and died.

Pushing himself up, Valkyrie yanked the knife out of the drone's head and flicked it a couple times to get the copious amounts of energon off of it.

Satisfied that it was clean enough, Valkyrie sheathed the knife and knelt down, disengaged the rifle from the drone's corpse, and tossed it to Triage.

"Until we can get our built-in weapons back online, we're going to have to scavenge," Valkyrie said, before he started rummaging through the corpse for anything else of use. He found some spare clips for the rifle, a stun baton, and, finally, a holo-map.

Setting it on the ground, Valkyrie activated the map and quickly located where they were.

"Alright," he said, pointing at the map. "We're here. Down the hall to our left is an armory, but I don't see us getting in there without a security pass, and our friend here didn't seem to have one."

Grabbing the stun baton, Valkyrie tossed it to Catapult and continued, "So for right now, we'll continue as planned. Catapult, Cameo, you'll enter the vents from the opening down the hall. Let's move…"

Valkyrie stopped as he felt the barrel of a gun press into the small of his back.

"Weapons on the ground and servos up where I can see them," came the drone's deadpan voice.

Slowly but surely, everyone complied, including Valkyrie, but not before rapidly disengaging his shields, sending out a very close quarters EMP burst.

Reaching to speak into its radio, the drone said, "This is unit H45. Unit 8R0 is down, prisoners attempted a…"

Valkyrie suddenly spun around and snapped H45's neck in one single, fluid motion.

Easing the corpse down next to its companion's, Valkyrie darkly said, "Let's go."

* * *

The sound of someone approaching the door brought the mysterious intruder back to the present.

"Slag," they said, quickly deleting all their activities and returning the console back to its original state before dashing into the vents.

Seconds later, Starscream walked in, slightly damaged and clearly mad about something.

_What's got him so worked up_, the intruder thought, watching through the small slits in the vent cover.

Starscream walked up to the central terminal and activated it.

As the holographic head of Megatron appeared, the seeker flinched slightly in fear, but quickly composed himself.

"What is it, Starscream," the head questioned.

"Well, erm, funny you should…ask that, erm…ah, we, um," Starscream stopped, clearing his vocal processor as he composed himself. "We had a slight…incident with the Autobot."

Narrowing his optics, Megatron growled, "Explain."

"I seem to have made a…minor miscalculation in the amount of punishment the Autobot could take and accidentally…offlined him," Starscream said, before very quickly adding, "But Conduit managed to revive him and is currently working to stabilize him."

Through clenched denta, Megatron said, "Then I hope you don't mind explaining why _you're _in such sorry shape."

"Ah, yes, well, umm, that was the main reason I wished to speak with you," Starscream stammered. "Conduit had a bit of a…disagreement with my methods after this incident. A rather…violent disagreement, as you can see. Threatening a superior officer is a treasonous offense, correct?"

"Indeed it is, Starscream," Megatron said with a smirk. "But in this case, I believe I shall make an exception. Conduit had every right to punish you for your stupidity. However, do tell him that the Autobot is starting to become a burden and that if the interrogation goes on much longer, I will not hesitate to have the Autobot terminated."

"As you wish, my liege," Starscream said as he deactivated the central terminal and left the room.

_Might want to keep an optic on this Autobot_, the intruder thought as they began crawling through the ducts toward the torture chamber.

* * *

"Ratchet, explain yourself," Optimus said angrily as he walked onto the bridge.

"They…they killed him, Optimus," Ratchet said.

Confused, Optimus asked, "Who are they and who did they kill, Ratchet?"

"The…the Decepticons…oh, Primus. Optimus, they killed Bumblebee," Ratchet said, optics glistening with newly-formed tears.

Optics going wide, Optimus darkly said, "No."

"No is right," came a voice from the doorway.

Startled, Prowl, Ironhide, Optimus, and Ratchet turned to face the new voice and found Blueshift leaning against the wall.

"He's not dead yet," she explained, turning to Ratchet. "Right after you ran off in your fit of rage, my bond with Bumblebee came back. I tried calling after you, but you were already long gone by then."

"But…but…how is that possible," Ratchet sputtered, dumbfounded.

"It seems likely that the Decepticons hadn't intended on killing Bumblebee, and managed to revive him before it was too late," Optimus explained grimly. "However, Blueshift, I must ask that you close off your end of the bond with Bumblebee. I'm sorry, but it has been causing more harm than good."

Shocked, Blueshift said, "But I can't just leave him to…"

"Let me rephrase what I said," Optimus said sternly. "I order you to close off your end of the bond. Blueshift, I know you don't want to, but it needs to be done. Your condition is visibly deteriorating and this latest incident is evidence enough that this must be done."

"I…alright," Blueshift relented, whispering as she closed the bond, "I'm sorry, Bee."

As the bond closed, Blueshift's condition clearly improved. Her once pained expression softened, her faceplates regained some of their color, and the irritation around her spark chamber noticeably lessened. Energy returned to many of her systems, and she no longer felt the need to use the wall for balance.

However, the pain of closing off Bee spread rapidly, and her expression saddened.

"I'm…going to go to my room, if that's ok with everyone," she said mopily.

When no one raised an objection, she turned and walked off in the direction of her room.

As she moved out of sight, Prowl walked over and removed the cuffs from Ratchet, who rose and said, "I should probably go and, uh, talk to her. Make sure she's alright."

Optimus merely nodded in approval.

Turning to Prowl, Ratchet said, "And Prowl? Sorry about throwing you."

"Not a problem, Ratchet," Prowl said with a faint smile. "Give her my condolences, will you?"

"Sure thing," Ratchet said as he walked off after Blueshift.

* * *

"Ah, frag," Valkyrie whispered as he yanked his head back around the corner.

"Hey, you," the enforcer shouted as it started walking over toward Valkyrie. "What the slag are you doing out of your cell?"

"Good going, fly-boy," Triage whispered as he readied his rifle.

Pushing the gun back down, Valkyrie whispered, "Too loud. I'll deal with it."

As he said this, Valkyrie deployed his knife again and pressed himself up against the wall.

As the enforcer rounded the corner, Valkyrie threw himself at the drone, grabbing onto its back, and began hacking at its neck.

In desperation, the enforcer slammed its back into the wall, crushing Valkyrie.

Seeing that they were losing the upper hand, Triage and Monsoon charged the enforcer, knocking it to the ground as Monsoon stomped its face in.

"Monsoon, grab its gun," Valkyrie rasped as he picked himself up off the floor.

Monsoon went to disengage the Scrapmaker from the drone's body, but when the systems failed to respond, he instead just ripped the gun, as well as the arm it was attached to, right off.

Optics wide, Valkyrie said, "Alright, from now on, you're taking point."

* * *

"Just like old times, eh, Cameo," Catapult whispered as she followed Cameo through the ducts.

"Yeah," Cameo whispered back. "Just wish Blue was here. Doesn't feel the same without her."

"Agreed," Catapult said, reminiscing briefly on the past before her HUD indicated they were directly above the control center.

"Here we go," Catapult said as she readied the stun baton while Cameo fiddled with the vent cover.

As the cover retracted, Catapult dropped into the room, quickly taking in the fact that there were Vehicons to her left, right, and rear. Hitting the floor, she quickly sprang back up into the air and smashed the baton into the drones to her left and right, then roundhouse kicked the one behind her.

Catapult quickly rolled out of the way as Cameo dropped in and together they proceeded to take out the remaining six Vehicons in the room. Over the course of the fighting, the stun baton snapped, clearly not designed for the amount of punishment it received. However, neither of the femmes were worried, as they now had a much bigger weapon in the form of the entire base.

"Alright, Cameo, you get the weapons systems," Catapult said. "I'll deal with comms and intel."

Nodding, Cameo dashed over to the weapons console and began slicing into the system. Before long, she had managed to swap the friend-or-foe designations for the turrets.

"Turrets are set to start scrapping some 'Cons," Cameo said.

"Good. Get them online," Catapult said as she dashed from terminal to terminal, causing all kinds of havoc and confusion for the Decepticons.

Cameo did as she was told, and the two femmes could faintly hear the sound of the turrets deploying from ceiling out in the halls.

That sound was quickly followed by the much louder sound of the turrets firing and Vehicons dropping dead.

* * *

Valkyrie and his group froze with fear as they watched the turrets descend from the cieling.

"Primus, please let those be on our side," Triage whispered as he glanced around frantically for some kind of escape route. The closest thing he found was a vent cover, and there was no way any of them were fitting in there.

As the turrets finished their descent, Valkyrie trained his optics on the light in the middle of the turret.

The turret did a quick sweep of the surrounding area before returning to facing them and the light switched on.

It was green.

Letting out a sigh of relief followed by a hearty laugh, Valkyrie said, "Yes, Triage. They're on our side."

Before Triage could reply, the resounding sound of turrets firing and Vehicons dying filled the halls.

As the noise began to die down, Triage finally said, "Well, looks like we've got safe passage."

At this, even Monsoon started laughing, and the group started heading back the way they'd come from.

However, as they neared the armory near their cell, three enforcers walked out, each carrying riot shields in one hand and Thermo Rocket Cannons in the other.

The turrets, seeing the enforcers, opened fire, only to have their shots bounce right off of the shields.

Shifting slightly, one of the enforcers shot off a rocket at one of the turrets, destroying it.

The enforcer to that one's left did the same, quickly eliminating the turret just in front of Valkyrie and his group.

Taking notice of the small group, the enforcers turned and brought their weapons to bear on them.

"Scatter," Valkyrie yelled as he dashed back behind the nearest corner.

Following his lead, Monsoon and Triage each found their own corners to hide behind as rockets began shooting down the hall.

"I don't know what you fraggers did, but we're putting a stop to it," the middle enforcer shouted.

Valkyrie peaked around the corner to try and take a shot at the drones, but quickly pulled himself back as a rocket flew past the area where his head had just been.

Clearly, shooting wasn't an option. So what was?

Valkyrie was the closest to the enforcers, and as they began to come closer and closer, he racked his processor for a way to get out of this.

Suddenly, it hit him as he disengaged his knife and brought the bottom of the hilt to face him.

"Hoped I wouldn't have to do this," he said as he pressed a small bottom on the hilt, which began blinking red as he quickly peaked out of cover and threw the knife towards the enforcers.

The knife sailed through the air before it fell to the ground and slid behind the enforcers.

"Nice toss," one of the enforcers mocked.

Pulling back behind cover, Valkyrie smirked as an explosion rocked the hallway.

As soon as things stopped shaking, Valkyrie walked out into the hall and glanced at the charred remains of the enforcers before saying, "Thank you."

Motioning for Monsoon and Triage to follow, they continued on their way to the control center, passing dozens of Vehicon corpses along the way.

As they reached the door, Valkyrie rasped his servo against it several times before it opened to reveal Catapult, rifle pointed directly at him.

Seeing who it was, she lowered the rifle and said, "There you are. Get in here."

As they walked in, Catapult saw Monsoon's weapon and pinched the space between her optics as she said, "Really, Monsoon? That is just wrong on so many levels."

Monsoon simply shrugged, but a smirk soon formed on his face.

"Anywho," Valkyrie said, bringing the focus back to the present. "What's our current situation?"

"Base is currently under our control," Cameo said as she rushed between consoles. "I've managed to lock the Decepticons out of the system, and incoming communications are being blocked. And…there! 'Cons can't remotely monitor outgoing communications."

"Does that mean we can contact Optimus without fear of it being traced," Valkyrie asked.

"Yessir," Cameo said with a grin. "Though I'd keep it brief. I can't guarantee that security forever."

Nodding, Valkyrie walked over to the communications terminal and input the signal for the Ark.

**:Valkyrie to Ark. Come in Ark.:**

**:Valkyrie, this is Optimus. I am receiving you. What is your status, soldier?:**

**:Operational, sir. I've picked up some friends and taken control of the prison facility we were being held at. Transmitting coordinates to you now.:**

**:Coordinates received…Valkyrie, please confirm these coordinates. They say you're…:**

**:On Earth's Moon? Yeah, that is correct. Get up here fast. We could use an extra servo or two.:**

**:Copy that. We'll get there as soon as possible. Prime out.:**

Closing the terminal, Valkyrie turned to the rest of the group and said, "Alright, Optimus has our coordinates and is gathering a group to come up here. Until then, let's find out everything we can about this and any other Decepticon facilities. If you find anything pertaining to Bumblebee, notify me immediately. This is probably the best chance I'll get at finding him, and I have no intention of wasting it."

* * *

"Blue, sweetie, I'm sure Bee's fine," Ratchet said, trying to soothe the distraught femme. "He's a resilient young mech. Tyger Pax proved that."

They were in Blueshift's room, with Blueshift sobbing and curled up in a ball at the head of her berth while Ratchet sat in a chair beside her, trying to calm her down.

Unsuccessfully.

"H-he barely m-made it back from T-Tyger Pax, Ratch," Blueshift said between sobs. "W-what makes you think he'll m-make it back from this?"

Shocked by her sudden loss of hope, Ratchet said, "I just know, Blue. He's survived worse…"

"No he hasn't!"

The sudden outburst startled Ratchet, who nearly fell out of his chair.

"You have no idea what he's been going through," Blueshift hissed. "They've been ripping him apart just to piece him back together again. They've…they've…"

Tears overwhelmed her as she buried her face in her legs.

"We'll find him, Blue," Ratchet said as he ran his servo along the top of her head.

"'We' aren't doing anything to find him," Blueshift said, not moving at all. "Valkyrie's the only one who went looking for him, and now he's missing too."

As if on cue, Optimus' voice came over the intercom.

**:All Autobots to the bridge. Rescue operation. Further details upon your arrival.:**

"Well, that may not be the case for long," Ratchet said with a hopeful smile as he helped Blueshift get to her feet and they began walking toward the bridge.

"I really hope you're right," Blueshift said, wiping the tears from her optics.

* * *

**Song: Engel: by Rammstein**

**Please, do not watch any of the music videos for Rammstein's songs unless I say otherwise. Many of them are very disturbing and/or disgusting.**

**Engel is also going to be Valkyrie's sort of theme song, and you can find the English lyrics at Herzeleid . com.**

**Also, if you picked up on what I was doing with those two drones earlier in the chapter, good for you. I needed a way to vent my frustations somewhat about the closing of TFU, and that's what I came up with.**

**And I think that's all there is to say so, don't forget to review, and until next time, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off.**


	17. Chapter 17: Beekeeper Part 5

**Hey everybody! What's it been, 6 months? Yeah, so there's this thing called life that loves to come along and just screw everything up completely. Since any of you last heard from me, I have graduated high school, been accepted to my college of choice, been to my uncle's wedding. Lots of stuff.**

**I'm sorry I left you guys for so very long and I honestly don't have any good excuse for it. If I'm to be truthful, I just kind of lost interest and fell into a horrible writer's block. I passed my time playing video games, reading, and hanging out with my real life friends. When it comes down to it, writing is something I am passionate about, but this story is a hobby. For those of you who have stuck around through all of this, I cannot apologize enough.**

**Ok, enough with the pity party. During my incredibly long leave, a person from the Bungie forums by the name of Whitigoh drew me this lovely picture of Valkyrie and Blueshift. ****imgur IUHi8fr Just remove the spaces and add a dot and a com and a slash to it. Fanfiction does not allow me to post URLs. Thanks again Whitigoh! And to any other aspiring artists, please go ahead and share your drawings of this story with me. I love seeing what my fans can do.**

**On a side note, my personal favorite band, Disturbed, has returned from their 4 year long hiatus recently and I squealed like a little girl when I heard. Love those guys.**

* * *

"What've we got," Valkyrie asked, moving next to Cameo to get a better look at the terminal she was at.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news," Cameo said, glancing at Valkyrie.

"Which is there more of," Valkyrie asked.

"Bad news," Cameo replied.

Letting out a sigh, Valkyrie said, "Alright, then let's get the good news out of the way."

"Right," Cameo said, bringing up several files on the terminal. "Well, the turrets have taken out almost all the Vehicons. There's a couple stragglers, but they're trapped until we take the turrets offline."

Nodding in understanding, Valkyrie said, "I see. Anything else?"

"It seems the 'Cons never expected us to escape," Cameo said. "I've copied everything pertaining to the cybermatter formula with almost no resistance. I've also downloaded base schematics and found the locations of 14 different energon mines."

"Excellent," Valkyrie said. "So what's the bad news?"

Bringing up several other files, Cameo said, "The bad news has a lot to do with guns. First of all, I can't reprogram the turrets so that they won't fire on Optimus and anyone else he brings up here. I'll need to shut them off when they get here, meaning any surviving Vehicons are set free."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Valkyrie said calmly.

"And then there's this," Cameo said, pulling up schematics of the entire base.

"Frag," Valkyrie said, glaring at the image of the artillery cannon mounted atop the base. "You never can do things easily, can you, Megatron?"

"We need to destroy that cannon," Cameo said bluntly.

"I know," Valkyrie said with a sigh. "Unfortunately, it'll take the whole base with it."

Motioning to the image of the cannon, Valkyrie pointed towards the feeding system for the shells.

"Megatron isn't one to leave things to chance," Valkyrie explained. "We destroy the cannon and there's enough shells beneath it to turn this whole place into one big crater. The fragger's left us with only two options. Either leave the place intact, or destroy everything."

"Wonderful," Cameo groaned.

* * *

"Who'd we find, Optimus," Ratchet asked as he and Blueshift walked in.

Taking a sweeping glance over the assembled Autobots, Optimus said, "I guess I've made you all wait long enough. I've been contacted by Valkyrie…"

"Then what are we waiting for," Blueshift cut in, eager to rescue her friend.

"Patience, Blueshift," Optimus said in a calming tone. "As I was saying, Valkyrie established contact. He claims to have lead a successful prison break at a Decepticon facility on Earth's moon."

As the Prime's words sank in, Ironhide was the first to speak up.

"How the hell did he get up there," he asked. "I mean, I know he can fly and all, but I'm pretty sure helicopters can't break atmosphere."

Blueshift groaned, but still had to admit that Ironhide raised a good question. How _did _Valkyrie get up there?

"You can ask him when we get there, Ironhide," Optimus said. "Prowl, you'll stay here and monitor communications. Everyone else, let's bring our comrade home."

"Might want to let him know we're coming," Wheeljack said. "Seems rude to show up without warning."

Nodding in agreement, Optimus opened his comlink.

**:Ark to Valkyrie. Are you recieving?:**

**:Five-by-five, Ark. What's the situation?:**

**:We simply wanted to let you know that we are on our way.:**

**:Understood. We'll be anticipating your arrival. Valkyrie, out.:**

Closing the comlink, Optimus activated the groundbridge and said, "Alright. Let's roll."

* * *

The intruder was pleased to see that they had arrived at the torture chamber ahead of Starscream. It gave them a chance to see what condition the Autobot was in before Starscream started back up again.

_Well, maybe Autobot isn't quite right_, they thought. _Slab of protoform seems much more fitting_.

Bumblebee, or at least what was left of him, was being worked on by Conduit.

The Decepticon "medic" had managed to stabilize the young mech and was currently busying himself with repairing Bumblebee's right leg.

_Oh, sweet Primus_, the intruder thought as they tried not to purge at the sight.

What was left of the leg was a repulsive mass of exposed wires and jagged metal. Worse, the ped was attached by only a few wires, and hung loosely from the rest of the leg.

_This is extreme, even for a sadistic glitch like Starscream_, the intruder thought as the door opened to reveal said sadist.

"Your fun is going to have to wait, Screamer," Conduit said without even turning to acknowledge the seeker. "I'll need some time before I can get him back in any condition to endure your punishment."

"Touching," the seeker sarcastically replied. "But you're wasting your time. Megatron has determined that this Autobot is no longer of use to us. Inform me when he wakes. I'm giving him one last chance to reconsider before we terminate him."

There was a moment of hesitation before Conduit replied, "Understood. Now let me work."

Giving a mocking bow, Starscream said, "As you wish."

As Starscream exited the room, the intruder thought, _Great. So much for waiting for Bumblebee to get repaired. Thanks Starscream._

* * *

"What was that about," Catapult asked, walking up behind Valkyrie.

"Just Optimus saying they're on their way," Valkyrie said, signaling to Cameo to deactivate the turrets. "Any news on Bumblebee?"

"Not yet," Catapult said.

"Alright. Keep looking," Valkyrie said as Catapult walked back to her terminal and continued her search.

As Valkyrie was walking over to where Triage was trying to help Monsoon separate the Scrapmaker from the severed arm, a groundbridge portal opened on the far side of the room.

All attention turned to the swirling green vortex as figures began to emerge from it.

Valkyrie let out a sigh of relief as the red and blue form of Optimus Prime appeared, quickly followed by the remainder of the Autobots.

Optimus started to move toward Valkyrie before anyone had a chance to greet their leader, but a certain blue femme pushed past him.

"Blueshift…" Valkyrie began before recieving a swift punch to the abdomen.

"Don't ever do that again," Blueshift said, trying to hold back tears of joy.

"Point taken," Valkyrie wheezed, but a smile quickly formed on his face.

As he did so, the scar across his face became extremely obvious, causing Blueshift to gasp.

"What happened to your face," she asked, concern laced through her voice.

"A deep gash mixed with inadequate medical supplies, that's what," Triage said, moving towards the group. "Medical officer Triage, reporting for duty."

"Are introductions really necessary, Triage," Cameo mocked, moving into view. "Blue already knows half of us."

At the sight of her old friend, Blueshift's optics went wide before she ran towards Cameo and pulled her into a hug that looked like it would crush the pink femme.

Chuckling slightly, Cameo said, "Good to see you too."

When Blueshift didn't let go, Cameo said, "Uh, Blue? You're kind of crushing me here."

Blueshift's optics shot open and she blushed in embarrassment as she relinquished her grip on Cameo.

"What, am I invisible or something," Catapult called from where she stood. "Where's my hug, Blue?"

Tears falling from her optics, Blueshift ran to Catapult with enough speed to have knocked the femme over had she not been ready for it.

Embracing her friend, Blueshift said, "I've missed you two so much."

Giving her old partner a reassuring pat on the back, Catapult replied, "Same here, Blue. Same here."

As the three femmes celebrated their reunion, Optimus walked up to Valkyrie and held out his servo.

Taking it, Valkyrie gave it a firm shake before letting go.

Bringing his servo back to his side, Optimus said, "I'm not even going to get into just how crazy this little stunt of yours was, soldier. What matters is that you're alive and well, and rescued some allies in the process. What's the situation here?"

"I was expecting at least a small reprimand for my actions, sir," Valkyrie said with a smirk. "We've got a few Vehicons still running around, but otherwise we've got full control of the base. I've got Cameo and Catapult searching the database for anything of use, with a priority on information about Bumblebee."

"Good work, Valkyrie," Optimus said, then added with a chuckle, "We'll discuss punishments later."

"Of course, sir," Valkyrie said. "There is one more thing of note, though. Well, two, actually."

Cocking an optic ridge, Optimus said, "Care to elaborate?"

"Uh, can we step out into the hall to discuss this, perhaps," Valkyrie said, a touch of anxiety in his voice. "I'd prefer to run this by you before telling everyone."

Confused but not wishing to start an argument, Optimus said, "Alright."

As they walked toward the door, Optimus went over to a smiling Ratchet and said, "Ratchet, I'm going out into the hall with Valkyrie for a moment. You're in charge while I'm gone."

Nodding in understanding, Ratchet returned to watching the femmes' celebration.

Once they were in the hallway, Optimus looked Valkyrie in the face and said, "Alright, Valkyrie. What is so important that you can only tell me?"

"If I may, Prime, I'd like to direct a question toward you," Valkyrie said. "How much more advanced do you believe the Decepticons around here are in comparison to your Autobots?"

"Why do you ask," Optimus asked, greatly confused by Valkyrie's cryptic actions.

"Answer my question first and I'll tell you," Valkyrie said, more than a little annoyance evident in his voice. "And give me an honest answer, not whatever morale-boosting slag you'd tell your troops."

Taken aback by Valkyrie's attitude, Optimus contemplated his reply for several moments before eventually saying, "In truth, the Decepticons greatly surpass us in almost every category. If I'm to be totally honest, I'm surprised we've managed to hold out for as long as we have."

Sighing, Valkyrie said, "That's what I was afraid you were going to say. Optimus, do you have any idea what purpose this facility served? It was a slave labor camp. Cameo, Catapult, Monsoon, and Triage are all that's left of the original labor force, the crew of the _Arclight_."

Turning to look at the door to the control center, Optimus mumbled, "All that's left…?"

"The rest of the _Arclight_ crew is dead, Optimus," Valkyrie said. "But there is a small silver lining to all this. The Decepticons have figured out how to create pure cybermatter, and they used them to mine it. The materials and formula needed to make it is all still here."

Taking a moment to process all this information, Optimus nodded and said, "This is indeed bittersweet news, Valkyrie. But I sense that you still have more to say."

"Prime, you and I both know Megatron would never leave something like this so easily accessible to his enemies," Valkyrie said. "Megatron knew that if this facility was ever taken, the escapees would need to get out of here quickly or risk their escape being discovered."

"Yes, so what is your point," Optimus asked.

"My point is that Megatron gave this facility two functions," Valkyrie said. "Remember that artillery round I found inside Silverbolt's ship? Well, it came from here. At this point, we're only left with two options. Either we steal the cybermatter formula and destroy that cannon, but level the base and the materials for the formula along with it, or we steal the formula and the materials, but leave the base intact. No matter what we do, Megatron wins."

"Not necessarily," Optimus said, placing a servo on Valkyrie's shoulder. "Destroying this base would be a massive blow to Megatron's forces, and we can always replace those materials."

"You're right," Valkyrie sighed. "Optimus, would you mind accompanying me? I need a hand gathering what we need and there are some things that need to be discussed away from the others."

"Alright," Optimus said, opening a comm with Ratchet.

**:Ratchet, Valkyrie and I are going to scavenge what we can from the base. We will return shortly.:**

**:Copy that, Optimus. Good luck.:**

"Ok, let's get moving. Oh, and you may want to keep your weapons at the ready," Valkyrie said, pulling out his rifle as he began to walk down the hall. "There's still a couple of Vehicons roaming around."

"Noted," Optimus said, deploying his blaster.

The two wandered the halls for a short while in silence. Eventually, Valkyrie broke that silence.

"Optimus, did you ever question Silverbolt about where the rest of his team is," he asked.

Thinking for a moment, Optimus said, "No, now that you mention it. Why?"

"Suspicions, among other things," Valkyrie replied as they rounded a corner. "I read up on the Aerialbots after finding Silverbolt. They don't seem like the kind of group that would split up willingly."

Narrowing his optics, Optimus said, "What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything. I'm merely taking what I know and seeing things that don't add up," Valkyrie said. "His arrival on Earth in a Decepticon fighter and his failure to mention his team are two things that particularly stand out."

Optimus retorted, "Valkyrie, Silverbolt is a highly respected, trusted, and decorated member of the Autobots-"

"I trusted Megatron with my fragging life," Valkyrie yelled, turning to stare Optimus in the optics. "Look at where that trust has landed me, Prime. Branded a traitor and a prisoner of war. Trust cost me everything!"

"And if we can't trust anyone, what then," Optimus shot back. "How can we work as a team? How can we ever achieve peace?"

Dropping his gaze, Valkyrie hesitantly replied, "I…guess I never really thought about it that way."

Sighing, Optimus said, "It's alright, Valkyrie. You've experienced a great deal of hardship in a very short period of time."

"A burden I wouldn't wish even upon Unicron himself," Valkyrie mumbled under his breath.

"However, I must commend you on your observations of Silverbolt," Optimus continued. "It seems we've allowed familiarity to blind our better judgement. I'll have Ratchet monitor him."

As Optimus moved to activate his comm, Valkyrie shouted, "No!"

Lowering his arm, Optimus asked, "Why?"

"We can't risk raising suspicions right now," Valkyrie explained. "If Silverbolt is indeed a traitor, we need him to believe that we trust him, at least until we get back to the Ark."

"Fair enough," Optimus said as they began walking again. "Where exactly are we going?"

"There's an armory up ahead," Valkyrie explained. "Inventory shows that it should have everything we need to level this place and then some."

* * *

"…and that's pretty much everything that's happened since we got here," Blueshift said, concluding her story.

"That's interesting and all, but what's up with you and Valkyrie," Catapult asked, more than a little excitement in her voice.

"What do you mean," Blueshift said, confused.

"Oh, quit playing dumb," Cameo said. "You obviously like him."

"What?! No," Blueshift said, blushing heavily. "I mean, he is kinda cute, but-"

"HA! I knew it," Catapult said as Cameo started chanting, "Blueshift's got a mechfriend. Blueshift's got a mechfriend."

"What's going on over here," Triage asked, walking over to the femmes.

Without thinking, Cameo said, "Nothing, babe."

Realizing what she said, Cameo's optics went wide as Blueshift sang, "Cameo's got a mechfriend. Cameo's got a mechfriend."

Next to her, Catapult was fighting the urge to laugh.

Rubbing the back of his head, Triage awkwardly said, "I'll, uh, be over there. You know, if you need me."

Cameo, staring daggers at Blueshift, waited until Triage was far enough away that he couldn't intervene and then tackled Blueshift to the floor, sending Catapult into a fit of laughter.

At the other side of the room, Wheeljack shook his head and muttered, "Femmes," earning him a nod of agreement from Ironhide and the twins.

* * *

"Valkyrie, I've been meaning to ask," Optimus said. "Why did you go after Bumblebee? Not that I condemn your actions. I'm just…curious."

"Do you want all the reasons or just the major ones," Valkyrie replied with a huff.

Pondering for a moment, Optimus said, "The major reasons should suffice."

"Well, for starters, he's just a kid. And no one, especially not a kid, should have to endure Decepticon 'justice.' Second," Valkyrie sighed, "I like him. Bumblebee was the first of you to see me as something other than a Decepticon. He's my friend, and I don't leave my friends behind."

"Is that all," Optimus asked.

"Well…umm," Valkyrie hesitated. "Uh, yeah. Yeah. That's all."

Seeing Valkyrie's hesitation, Optimus said, "Valkyrie, Autobot Code states that withholding information from a superior is an act of treason."

Turning to face Optimus, Valkyrie smirked as he pointed to the insignia on his shoulder and said, "Sorry, but I'm not an Autobot."

Narrowing his optics in irritation, Optimus said, "Valkyrie…"

"Alright, alright," Valkyrie said, raising his arms in defeat. "Primus, you got a stare that would stop Unicron in his tracks. Yes, there was another reason. I made a, um…well, I made a promise to Blueshift that I'd bring him back in one piece, and I intend to keep that promise."

"That's very admirable of you," Optimus said. "About Blueshift. Does she…mean something to you?"

"Alright. Wasn't expecting that," Valkyrie said, stopping to lean against the wall. "You're an honorable mech, so I'll be honest with you. Yes, Blueshift means a lot to me. She is kind, funny, a damn good medic, and caring towards her fellows. Next to Bumblebee, I'd say she's the best friend I have right now."

Optimus was about to reply, but Valkyrie raised a servo and said, "We're here, by the way. I'll need some help with this door."

Pushing himself off the wall, Valkyrie walked over to the door and started digging his servos into the slight gap between the door panels.

As Valkyrie started to pull the doors apart, Optimus came over and did the same.

"Glad to see you're getting along with the crew," Optimus grunted with effort.

"Likewise," Valkyrie said as he strained against the door. "So, how has Blueshift been taking things?"

"Not well, I'm afraid," Optimus said, the door now opened enough for them to enter. "The sooner we find Bumblebee, the better."

"I just hope we find him in time," Valkyrie mumbled as he trudged into the room.

**_Twelve minutes later:_**

Everyone jumped as the control room door opened, but quickly eased when Optimus and Valkyrie walked in, each carrying a sizable crate.

"What's all this," Blueshift asked as the two mechs set their crates down.

"In due time, Blue," Valkyrie said. "First, let's explain _why _it's here."

Valkyrie gave Optimus a nod and the Prime explained, "It seems the Decepticons have learned how to create cybermatter. As Cameo has already downloaded the formula, this base only stands as a threat to us all."

"Which leaves destruction as our best course of action," Valkyrie finished.

"Couldn't we just, you know, commandeer the base," Wheeljack asked.

"Megatron would only try to retake it," Optimus said, shaking his head. "And beyond that, occupation of this base would be in direct violation of the conditions the humans have laid out for us during our time on Earth."

"Also, it would be easy for the human government to cover up the explosion as a meteor impact," Valkyrie added.

"Explosion," Blueshift asked with a tinge of worry.

"Yes," Valkyrie said, patting his crate for emphasis. "This base is also home to the cannon that shot down Silverbolt. With a bit of help, all the munitions for that gun are enough to vaporize this place."

"Ok, wait. Just hold up a minute," Ratchet said, stepping forward. "Let me get this straight. The Decepticons discovered how to create cybermatter? How did this slip past us?"

"Later, Ratchet. Right now, we need to blow this place before the Decepticons start wondering why no one has reported in lately," Valkyrie said. "So here's how it's going to work. Cliffjumper will stay here and protect Cameo while Wheeljack and myself plant and arm the explosives. Everyone else will return…"

"Who the hell put you in charge," Ironhide said.

"Necessity," Valkyrie hissed back. "I know Decepticon protocol better than anyone else here, so unless we aren't fighting Decepticons, my word should be taken as law. Got it?"

"Oh, for the love of…fine," Ironhide said. "But if this blows up in our faces, it's your fault."

"Good. Now, where was I…right. Everyone else will return to the Ark," Valkyrie said. "Cameo, I want you to transfer the cybermatter formula over to Ratchet. Until Wheeljack and I return, you are to continue blocking Decepticon signals and filtering through communications. Let's move, people!"

"Ratchet, a moment please," Optimus said, motioning to Ratchet.

"Yes?" Ratchet said, coming up next to Optimus.

Lowering himself to eye level with the medic, Optimus whispered, "When we return to the Ark, I want you to take Silverbolt to the med bay. Don't tell him anything, but keep him confined there until I arrive. There are some questions that need to be asked."

Processing this information, Ratchet whispered back, "Alright. I'll make up an excuse or something."

"Good," Optimus whispered before rising and walking over to Cameo. "Pardon my interruption, but which of these terminals should I use to contact the Ark?"

"Not a problem, sir. The terminal you're looking for is just to your left," Cameo said, never looking away from her work.

"Thank you," Optimus said as he went up to the terminal.

**:Optimus to Ark. Prowl, are you receiving?:**

**:Loud and clear, Optimus. Do you require an exit?:**

**:Affirmative. However, things have become more complicated here.:**

**:Care to elaborate?:**

**:Gladly. This facility was used to manufacture cybermatter. Surviving members of the ****_Arclight_**** were held prisoner here. Valkyrie set them free and has retrieved the cybermatter formula. However, the facility has our orbital foe attached to it. Valkyrie and Wheeljack are going to plant explosives after we leave before returning to base with Cliffjumper and ****_Arclight_**** survivor Cameo. Also, I want you and Ironhide to meet me when I return.:**

There is a pause.

**:Copy that, sir. Activating groundbridge. Tell Valkyrie that it will remain active for only 20 minutes after you leave.:**

**:Understood. Prime, out.:**

As Optimus pushed away from the terminal and turned to face his Autobots, the groundbridge opened off to his left.

"Autobots, you know your assignments," Optimus said. "Valkyrie, after we return to base, the groundbridge will remain active for only 20 minutes, so make haste. Everyone else…"

**"****_Nemesis_**** to Facility 19. You've missed your latest check-in deadline. Is everything alright up there?"**

"Slag," Valkyrie said. "Everyone, back to the Ark! We're out of time! Wheeljack, with me! Let's go!"

* * *

**Song: Immortalized : Disturbed**

**We'll finish up this arc next chapter. I meant to this time, but I just keep making this part of the story longer and longer. But enough is enough, and we move on after the next chapter.**

**Also, I want to start implementing the romance part of this story in future chapters, but, having no personal experience on that front, I could use more than a little help. PM me if you are interested in helping and don't mind potentially major spoilers.**

**Until then, this is Valkyrie 497, signing off! Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18: Beekeeper Part 6

**I'M BACK BITCHES! It's only been...almost a year and a half?! What the fuck? Christ, I hate that thing called life so much.**

**Anyway, yeah, lots of stuff has happened between then and now, but a lot of it is boring, so big whoop. This chapter will almost certainly feel a bit weird, as I have been coming back to it intermittently. There was a pretty big gap in late March when my grandpa lost his almost decade long battle with cancer the day before Easter. I'm not in college at the moment, either, which put me in a serious funk. But, I mean, I looked at the calendar and finally thought I need to get off my ass and get back to this (Breaking Benjamin and a lot of other awesome acts helped, too). It's not right how long this has taken, and I cut this one short because I just needed to get SOMETHING out to show that I'm still around. We're back in business, and I'll try to keep it that way this time.**

* * *

"Silverbolt, could you come with me to the med bay," Ratchet asked as he and the other Autobots returned to the Ark.

Puzzled but compliant, Silverbolt replied, "Sure thing, Ratchet."

As the two walked off toward the med bay, Optimus, Ironhide, and Prowl went off toward the Prime's quarters. Once they had arrived and the door closed behind them, Optimus began laying out the situation.

"It has been brought to my attention that we may have a major security breach. A mole, as it were," Optimus explained. "Suspicions have been raised against Silverbolt. Familiarity appears to have blinded us to the fact that he has never mentioned the other Aerialbots, their location, or their current condition. Valkyrie managed to pick up on these red flags and alerted me to them. I have Ratchet confining Silverbolt to the med bay for the moment. Until we know more, Silverbolt is to be placed under arrest. If it comes to it, I will approve the usage of interrogation methods that fall within the morals of the Autobot Code."

"Whoa, whoa. Back up for a minute," Ironhide said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're accusing _Silverbolt_ of betrayal on the words of Valkyrie, a former-Decepticon who only recently became a Neutral? I can't be the only one who can see what's wrong with that."

"I hate to say it, but I'm with Ironhide on this one," Prowl said. "You want us to arrest the commander of the Aerialbots based on the accusations of a mech who still has yet to fully prove their trustworthiness."

"Regardless of your personal opinions on this matter, the truth is that Silverbolt stands accused of high treason and poses a potentially massive security threat every moment he moves freely about this ship," Optimus said coldly. "I am ordering the immediate arrest of Silverbolt for questioning. Are we clear?"

When the only response he got were dissident grumbles, Optimus raised his voice and repeated, "Are we clear?"

"This is absurd, but we're clear, sir," Prowl said, shaking his head in slight disapproval.

"Ironhide," Optimus said, growing increasingly annoyed at his friend's recent behavior.

"Crystal," Ironhide growled, making no attempt to hide his distaste for what was about to be done.

"I do not wish to do this any more than either of you, but it must be done if we are to ensure our safety," Optimus concluded, motioning for them to leave to execute their orders.

* * *

_Damned Seeker_, the intruder thought as they watched Conduit finish patching up the Autobot known as Bumblebee just enough so that he could die in one piece.

"Imagine how much trouble you would have saved yourself if you had just cooperated," Conduit mumbled as he circled the Autobot to make sure he hadn't missed anything. "Good news is that you won't have to suffer much longer. When Starscream gives the order, I'll just flip a switch and it will all be over."

_Not if I can help it, you pile of slag_, the intruder thought.

Suddenly, the screeching voice of Starscream came over the base's intercom, **"Seeker squadrons 5 and 6 report to the command center immediately."**

_Great. Don't die while I'm gone, kid,_ the intruder thought as they quietly made their way back to the command center.

Arriving at a point in the ducts where they could see the command center, the intruder watched as the Seeker squadrons, a total of 48 Seeker units, entered the command center in perfect formation. The intruder was no expert on Seekers, but based on the similar coloration these units had with Starscream, it would seem that these Seekers were part of Starscream's rumored elite.

_This can't be good,_ the intruder thought.

As if on cue, Starscream, who had been up to this point hovering over a terminal, turned to face the assembled Seekers and began, "Approximately 1 Earth hour ago, Facility 19 abruptly ceased reporting in. Any attempts to establish contact since have failed, and it is now believed that Facility 19 has been compromised. In 10 minutes, you will report to bridge control to infiltrate, investigate, and, if necessary, retake Facility 19. Be aware that, in the event that Facility 19 has been compromised, Valkyrie is likely at large and a high-priority target. Lethal force is authorized. I will personally oversee this operation from bridge control. Dismissed."

The Seekers saluted Starscream and about-faced in perfect unison as they left the command center. Starscream followed close behind after waving a servo over a screen, dimming every terminal in the room.

Waiting a moment after Starscream left the room, the intruder emerged from the ducts and rushed over to the communications terminal, plan already forming in their processor.

_Facility 19 had several prisoners. Valkyrie must have one of them monitoring communications. I should be able to send a message on loop and get their attention,_ the intruder thought as they began typing out the message. The message itself was brief, simply warning them about the incoming assault force. However, attached to the message were files that provided the location of this facility, the bridge frequency, and a map that highlighted Bumblebee's location. Setting the message to repeatedly send every 15 seconds, the intruder dimmed the terminal and retreated back to the ducts, heading toward Bumblebee.

* * *

"So, why did you want to see me, Ratchet," Silverbolt asked from the medical berth he was sitting on.

"Oh, just some final checks on your systems. We can never be too sure, now, can we," Ratchet said, back turned to Silverbolt as he pretended to be working.

"Well, could we get started with that? You know, since you've been doing nothing but fooling around since we got here," Silverbolt said, a twinge of anxiety in his voice.

Startled that Silverbolt had seen through his ruse, Ratchet hurriedly moved over to some equipment similar in function to a human CAT scan.

"Right, well, I need you to come over here so I can get a detailed scan of your processor," Ratchet said, trying hard to hide the nervousness in his voice. _Where the frag is Optimus?_

"Huh, I thought you normally let Chromedome handle that kind of stuff," Silverbolt said jokingly as he walked over to Ratchet and the equipment.

Ratchet visibly cringed at the mention of his mnemosurgeon friend and said, "Unfortunately, Chromedome is...no longer with us, I'm afraid."

"He's...oh, Ratchet, I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Silverbolt quickly apologized.

Ratchet waved him off and said, "It's alright. You couldn't have known."

Silverbolt merely nodded and sat down.

As Ratchet readied the equipment to perform its task, Silverbolt said, "If you don't mind me asking, I'd like to know how he went."

"What," Ratchet said, dumbfounded by Silverbolt's question.

"Chromedome. He was a likable mech and I'm curious how he went out," Silverbolt explained.

"Oh. Well, umm...Chromedome...uh, he...died when we crashed here," Ratchet said. "He's buried outside with Rewind, Blaster, Powerglide, Smokescr..."

"Who," Silverbolt asked, sincere confusion written across his face.

"Smokescreen..." Ratchet began.

"No, before that," Silverbolt said.

"Powerglide? Surely you remember Powerglide. He was one of your back-up Aerialbots," Ratchet said, concern lacing into his voice.

"Aerialbots? Ratchet, what the slag are you..." Silverbolt started.

"Silverbolt, I need you to remain still while I take this scan. After what you've just said, this scan is extremely important," Ratchet explained in a forceful voice, cutting Silverbolt off.

"Ratchet, what's going on," Silverbolt asked, desperation evident in his voice. "Is there something wrong with me? Why are you in such a rush? Please, just tell me what's going on."

It was at that moment that Optimus, Prowl, and Ironhide finally chose to show up.

Before Ratchet could intervene, Prowl stepped forward and said, "Silverbolt, you are under arrest pending investigation into charges of high treason. Make this easy and come quietly."

"What the frag," Silverbolt asked in disbelief. "What did I do?"

"Optimus, call them off," Ratchet quietly pleaded, which earned a quizzical glance from the Prime.

"Playing dumb won't get you out of this, Silverbolt," Prowl said, inching closer to Silverbolt.

Standing up, Silverbolt exclaimed, "I have a right to know what I supposedly did!"

In response, Prowl glanced over to Ironhide and motioned for him to approach Silverbolt from the side.

Seeing this, Ratchet shot Optimus a pleading glance.

"Everyone, stand down," Optimus ordered as he looked to his old friend. "Ratchet?"

* * *

"Hey, be careful with that," Wheeljack yelled as Valkyrie placed an explosive with a bit too much force for comfort. "Hurrying doesn't excuse carelessness."

"Which is why you're here," Valkyrie said.

"Look, just be a bit more gentle next time, ok," Wheeljack said. "I enjoy living."

"Fair point," Valkyrie said. "How many more do we need to place?"

"Need? None," Wheeljack said with a mischievous grin. "Want? About five more."

"Primus, you enjoy this too much," Valkyrie said, pinching between his optics. "Just leave them. We only have nine minutes before our way home disappears."

"Killjoy," Wheeljack said as he and Valkyrie began walking back to the control center.

As they were nearing the control center, Valkyrie's comm pinged.

**:Valkyrie, it's Cliffjumper. Cameo just started jumping up and down screaming 'I found him' over and over. How soon can you get here?:**

**:Tell her to calm down. We'll be there very soon.:**

"What was that," Wheeljack asked.

"Cliffjumper. Let's hurry up and find out what's going on," Valkyrie said.

They reached the control center roughly 30 seconds later. As soon as they walked in, Cameo ran up to Valkyrie and started dragging him over to a console.

"Whoa, Cameo," Valkyrie exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"I found him," Cameo said.

"Found who," Valkyrie asked. "Slow down for a minute and tell me what is going on."

"Bumblebee," Cameo yelled.

"What," all the mechs asked, dumbfounded.

"Cameo, where is he? How did you find him," Valkyrie asked.

Activating the terminal, Cameo instantly brought up the intruder's message.

"It started spamming the communications feed about five minutes ago. I ignored it at first, but I got curious. There's a map of a Decepticon facility in Africa, a bridge frequency, and a marker for Bumblebee's location," Cameo explained.

"Not to spoil the moment, Cameo, but were you going to mention the message itself," Valkyrie asked as he read the warning about the invasion force.

"Oh, right. That," Cameo said.

"Yeah. That," Valkyrie responded. "Wheeljack, is everything ready?"

"Of course," Wheeljack said incredulously.

"Good," Valkyrie said and turned to Cameo. "Cameo, grab those files and let's go."

"Already done," Cameo replied, happy to finally be leaving this place.

"Then let's go home," Valkyrie said as they all rushed through the portal.

* * *

"Where'd everyone go," Sideswipe asked as he walked onto the Ark's bridge.

"Optimus, Ironhide, and Prowl came through here a minute ago," Blueshift said as she, Catapult, and Sunstreaker watched the groundbridge.

"The others aren't back yet," Sideswipe questioned.

"Heads up. Multiple contacts coming in," Triage yelled from the groundbridge controls.

"EMP rounds only. Possible friendlies, so watch your targets," Blueshift said as everyone aimed their weapons at the portal.

After staring into the green vortex for several seconds, four figures came barreling in, all skidding to a halt as soon as they were through.

"Close the bridge," Valkyrie yelled as he came to a stop.

Triage did so without hesitation before coming down to check on the new arrivals, primarily Cameo.

"Wheeljack, I want you to detonate those explosives the second those 'Cons arrive," Valkyrie said. "Don't give them the chance to learn anything."

"Sure thing," Wheeljack said.

"Blue, where's Optimus," Valkyrie asked, walking over toward the femme.

"A 'hello' would be nice," Blueshift said sarcastically.

"Blueshift, this is serious. Where is he," Valkyrie pressed.

"He was heading toward the med bay last I saw. What's got you so riled up," Blueshift said.

Valkyrie hesitated for a moment as he debated about telling Blueshift about Bumblebee before responding, "I'll tell you later. Just...tend to the others, alright?"

With that, Valkyrie sprinted off toward the med bay.

* * *

"I think Silverbolt may simply have some level of processor damage that went undetected," Ratchet explained. "If you'll just let me scan him, I can..."

Rushing in and cutting Ratchet off, Valkyrie appeared.

"Valkyrie," Ratchet said, surprised.

"Glad to see you made it home, soldier," Optimus greeted. "Is there something you need?"

"Sorry to interrupt..." Valkyrie started before noticing Silverbolt. Whispering to Optimus, he said, "Why is he still unrestrained?"

"Ah, Valkyrie, Ratchet was just explaining his theory when you came in," Optimus explained calmly.

"I believe Silverbolt has some processor damage that I somehow missed. A comprehensive scan would tell me more," Ratchet said.

Interested, but realizing he was getting offtrack, Valkyrie quickly regained his focus, "Yes, that's nice and all. But Optimus, I have major intel and a request, in that order."

"What have you found, Valkyrie," Optimus asked.

"Well, while Wheeljack and I were setting explosives at the Decepticon facility, a message began spamming the communications feed," Valkyrie explained. "Cameo eventually opened it. The message itself was a warning about two Seeker squadrons being sent to the facility, but attached to it was a map of a Decepticon facility in Africa, along with the bridge frequency. The map had one point highlighted on it. Bumblebee."

At the mention of Bumblebee, jaws dropped and gasps of disbelief were let loose. Even Optimus wasn't immune to the shock, his optics going wide in response.

"I am requesting permission to lead a team in to investigate and, if possible, retrieve Bumblebee," Valkyrie said flatly.

Shaking out of their stupor, the responses of the assembled mechs ranged from strong approval to quizzical silence.

Optimus, of course, was the first to speak, "Valkyrie, you've only just returned from combat. I don't think it wise for you to..."

"I'm in," Ironhide spoke up from where he was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

Everyone stared at Ironhide in complete shock at his willingness to side with Valkyrie.

Pushing off the wall with a huff, Ironhide continued, "Look, it's my fault that Bee got captured in the first place. Getting him back seems like the least I can do. If that means working with flyboy there, so be it."

Turning his attention to Valkyrie, Ironhide said, "Where you're going, you're gonna need muscle. Next to your pal Monsoon, I'm the closest thing you got to a walking tank. And this tank is looking for any excuse it can get to tread all over some 'Cons."

"Optimus, even if we don't find Bumlebee, retrieving whoever leaked this information could prove useful," Valkyrie said, hoping it would be enough to convince the Prime.

Sighing, Optimus said, "Upon further consideration, Valkyrie, I am approving the mission. Gather a small strike force and then meet me at the groundbridge. We will discuss the plan from there."

Nodding, Valkyrie left the med bay with Ironhide in tow.

"Prowl, remain here and assist Ratchet while I go and retrieve Triage," Optimus ordered before he, too, left the med bay.

* * *

"Hey, uh, Valkyrie," Ironhide said, getting the attention of the flier.

"Yes, Ironhide," Valkyrie said, glancing over at Ironhide but continuing to walk towards the bridge.

"Well, I just wanted to say that we...got off on the wrong ped, you know," Ironhide said. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior towards you and was hoping we could leave it in the past."

Coming to a sudden stop and turning to look directly at Ironhide, Valkyrie said, "Ironhide, you have no reason to apologize to me. I was a hostile agent brought here by mistake. I insulted your commanding officer, and took one of your fellows hostage in an attempt to escape. I injured one of your fellows in that escape attempt. You had every reason to act as you did toward me. Frankly, I should be asking you for forgiveness."

"So, um, does that mean we're, uh, we're good," Ironhide asked.

"We're good, Ironhide," Valkyrie said with a smirk as he held out his servo.

Taking Valkyrie's servo and giving it a firm shake, Ironhide said, "Let's keep this quiet though, ok? I got a reputation to keep."

Chuckling, Valkyrie simply replied, "Of course."

After taking a quick glance around to make sure no one had been eavesdropping on their conversation, the duo continued on their way to the bridge.

* * *

"What's got your friend so worked up," Catapult asked, walking over to Blueshift after making sure Triage had what he needed.

"I don't know," Blueshift said, clearly asking herself the same question. "But whatever it is, Cameo got so excited by it that she drained most of her energon reserves."

"Well, at least we can be sure it's something big," Catapult said.

"You always were observant," Blueshift replied sarcastically.

"Hey! I'm just trying to help," Catapult said, sitting down in the chair next to Blueshift.

Sighing, Blueshift said, "I'm just happy you two are alright. There would have been hell to pay if you or Cameo hadn't made it back here in one piece."

Smirking, Catapult said, "Well, I'm sure the 'Cons will be happy to hear that."

"Oh, trust me. When we find Bumblebee, the 'Cons will be answering for a lot of things," Blueshift said, clenching her one servo into a fist.

Seeing this, Catapult places a servo on Blueshift's shoulder and says, "Hey, let's not dwell on that right now. Focus on the here and now, alright?"

Unclenching her servo, Blueshift said, "Alright. Well, I got nothing else I need to be doing. I think it's time I introduced to the wonders of human music."

Reaching into her subspace, Blueshift pulled out a pair of headphones and handed them to Catapult, who hesitantly put them on.

"Teletraan, pull up Shoot To Thrill by AC/DC," Blueshift said, and the song began playing in the headphones.

* * *

"Report," Starscream wheezed, picking himself up off the ground.

The Seeker had sent his troops through the bridge, only to be met with a blast of smoke and debris.

"Situation unknown, Commander Starscream," the bridge technician replied. "Attempting to hail the team."

"Don't bother," Starscream said, fanning smoke away from his face.

How could such a basic operation have gone so wrong?

_Oh well_, Starscream thought. _With any luck, that explosion took out everyone within the facility._

"Engage the long range scanners. I want that area swept for survivors," Starscream barked at the assembled Vehicons as he turned to leave the room.

_Now, question of the day. How will Megatron react_, Starscream thought, walking out into the hall toward the command center.

Entering the command center, he powered up the central console and opened a line to the _Nemesis_.

"What now, Starscream," the face of Megatron asked as it appeared.

"A…potential complication, my liege," Starscream said. "I sent troops as ordered, but the facility exploded upon their arrival. I've engaged the long range scanners to search the area for survivors."

The face of Megatron starts to contort into a snarl, then relaxes.

"Soundwave calculated this as a possible outcome," the face says. "Scuttle the facility and evacuate. Have Conduit dispose of the prisoner. I expect you back on the _Nemesis_ in two hours. Megatron, out."

The transmission cuts off and the face disappears.

Starscream scowls and activates the facility's intercom.

**"Commander Starscream to all hands. By order of Lord Megatron, this facility is to be scuttled and evacuated effective immediately. I want protocol to be followed to the letter. The facility will be destroyed in two hours. If you're still here then, may you find peace in the Allspark."**

* * *

"Sorry ladies. Need to break up the party," Ironhide said as he and Valkyrie walked onto the bridge.

"Why? What's going on," asked Blueshift.

"Your brother," Valkyrie replied.

"Bee? You-you found him," Blueshift said, looking ready to shoot through the ceiling with excitement.

"Yes. Well, maybe. The intel's shoddy at best. Unknown contact within the facility Bee's supposedly in," Valkyrie explained. "Optimus has ordered me to assemble a team to investigate. I'm accepting volunteers."

"Absolutely count me in! No way I'm not going along to rescue my brother," Blueshift excitedly responded. "Plus, you might need a field medic."

"Blue, I think Ratchet might need…" Valkyrie began before being cut off.

"Word of advice, flyboy. Listen to what she says," Ironhide said, placing a hand on Valkyrie's shoulder and looking toward Blueshift. "Take it from someone who knows what happens otherwise."

"Fine," Valkyrie relented with a sigh. "But no heroics. This is an extraction behind enemy lines. You will do what I say when I say it. Are we clear?"

"Absolutely," Blueshift replied. "And Ironhide? Thanks."

"Anytime," Ironhide said with a wink and a nod.

"Alright. Catapult, you should sit this one out. Get yourself up to speed on things here," Valkyrie said, looking around the room at the assembled Autobots. "Sideswipe, Sunstreaker. Up for a rescue op?"

"Definitely," Sideswipe said, jumping to his peds and hauling Sunstreaker up with him. "As long as you can keep sunshine here from whining about his paint."

"Ah, screw you," Sunstreaker retorted, shoving his twin off of him.

"I'll see what I can do, but no promises," Valkyrie said with a laugh.

Optimus walks onto the bridge as the laughter dies down.

"Triage, Ratchet requests your assistance in the med bay," the Prime said. "Gather up your patients and make your way there. The bridge is needed for military matters at the moment."

"Of course, sir," said Triage, helping Cameo to her peds and heading off toward the med bay, Cameo leaning into him tenderly and Monsoon following close behind.

"Have you assembled your team, Valkyrie," Optimus asked.

"Yessir," Valkyrie replied. "Ironhide, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Blueshift will be joining me."

"Understood," Optimus said, giving Blueshift a concerned yet understanding look. "As this is Valkyrie's operation, he will be briefing you. I will remain here and provide logistical support. Valkyrie, if you will."

"Thank you," Valkyrie said as he walked over to a holotable and pulled up the schematics their unknown informant had provided them of the Decepticon base. "As you can see, Bumblebee is supposedly being held in this area here, the standard placement for interrogation quarters in Decepticon installations of this scale. In accordance with regulation layout of such an installation, bridge control and other vital elements are cordoned off in the southwestern corner, diagonally opposite of areas containing prisoners. The base's bridge control will be our way in, as installations such as this are subterranean, making bridging in their risky without precise coordinates. Thankfully, our unnamed informant has provided us with this base's bridge frequency. Upon arrival, we will split up into two teams to divide their forces. Ironhide, you will take the primary western corridor with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Blueshift and I will take the primary eastern corridor. We will meet back up outside of the interrogation quarters, get Bumblebee, and bridge out. If any complications arise en route to the interrogation quarters, entries to the emergency secondary corridors are placed at regular intervals along the way. These corridors are compartmentalized and can be locked down in sections in the event of something like a prisoner breakout or energon explosion. Try and keep attention there until the other team can complete the mission, if possible. Otherwise, you are to contact Optimus and get yourselves bridged out of there. Any questions?"

"I have a couple," Sideswipe said. "Not trying to be a pessimist or anything, but what do we do if Bumblebee isn't where this informant of yours says he is? What if your informant is actually just leading us into a trap?"

"Much as I hate to admit it, Sideswipe," Valkyrie said with a sigh. "There's a pretty good possibility this will be the case. We really only have two options in this situation. We bridge out of there as fast as possible or, failing that, we make it up as we go. We're going deep behind relatively uncharted enemy lines, leaving us with little in the way of support."

"Oh," Sideswipe said, the reality of the situation finally starting to sink in. "Oh."

* * *

**Sorry to cut things off so suddenly, but as I said, I felt horrible for not getting anything out in so absurdly long.**

**I found myself listening to Johnny Cash's "Hurt" a lot while writing the last little bit of this chapter for some odd reason, along with a lot of other, more somber songs. No idea why, but they helped me get things up and running again. Also, RWBY. This thing has become my favorite show ever, and has been the first show to genuinely make me, a 20-year-old man, cry. Going forward, it is going to be a big inspiration for me in all my works, from the action to the character interactions and so on. I may even write something for it someday, when the show starts to calm down again.**

**Some of you may have noticed I started to branch out into Halo. I might continue that story, but I'm not sure, as I'm terrified of screwing up a beloved character I want to put in it. Also, I'd like to see what happens in Halo Wars 2 first so I don't mess up the canon.**


End file.
